Flo Milli Is Feeling Herself on NPR Tiny Desk Debut

NPR’s Tiny Desk might be small, but Flo Milli’s presence as a performer made expansive use of the space. The rapper made her debut on the live performance series with a set that spanned her growing catalogue of hits, kicking off with rock versions of the ultimate self-affirmation anthem “Conceited” and the biting Ho, Why Is You Here? single “Bed Time.”

The 24-year-old kept commentary around her songs to a minimum during the performance, which featured support from Atlanta’s Band of Brothers and her two backing vocalists, the Floettes. After knocking out “In the Party,” Milli offered some brief backstory before performing “Beef FloMix,” her breakout single. “This next song was my first song to ever blow up,” she explained. “I wrote this in my mom’s house, I was 18. This is my baby.”

The Alabama rapper closed out her set with “Weak” and a stripped-back acoustic version of her viral single “Never Lose Me” from Fine Ho, Stay. Milli updated the record with an additional verse not included on the original recording. The set also marked the first time she has performed with a live band.

Milli’s Tiny Desk debut arrives during Black Music Month, during which NPR is highlighting nine Black women in music. The rapper’s appearance follows sets from Tems, Lakecia Benjamin, Tierra Whack, Chaka Khan, Kierra Sheard, and Brittney Spencer.

Last year, Rolling Stone caught up with Milli ahead of Fine Ho, Stay, her second studio album. “Ever since I was younger, I’ve always been sure of myself. Even sometimes when I wasn’t, I still came off like I was,” she explained about her confidence. “I always been a lit bitch. Some people have that star quality, and people would try to make me feel like I shouldn’t have been shining like that. But all that did was make me stronger.”