AILSA CHANG, HOST:

You know that feeling when you have 1,000 amazing options in front of you, but you're forced to choose just one? Or maybe it's 7,000 amazing options - because that's about the number of entries NPR Music got this year for its annual Tiny Desk Contest.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHAT'S IT ALL MEAN?")

THE PHILHARMONIK: (Singing) I was told I could be anything that I wanted to be, work hard so you can make money to fulfill your dreams.

CHANG: The judges had to choose just one - California artist The Philharmonik and his song, "What's It All Mean?" But there were so many other incredible entries that this summer, we've been bringing you some of our favorites that did not win the top prize. And today, I'm joined by NPR Music's Bobby Carter. He's produced Tiny Desks for some legendary hip-hop artists like Mac Miller, Jeezy and Noname. And he's going to share his favorite contest entries from up and coming rappers. Hey, Bobby.

BOBBY CARTER, BYLINE: Hey now, Ailsa. How you doing?

CHANG: I'm good. How about you?

CARTER: I'm great. I'm great. There were so many great hip-hop acts this year. I don't want to waste a moment. I want to take it to Dallas...

CHANG: Yeah.

CARTER: ...This band, Cure For Paranoia, one of my favorite entries by far. This guy, Cameron McCloud - the thing that I love most about this band is that they're throwing everything at us. You know what I mean? - jazz, R&B bars all day long. And this kid, Cameron, has so much personality, so many layers. Let's get to it.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TIINY DESK")

CURE FOR PARANOIA: (Rapping) Put on their neck and my hand on the post. Feeling like Twister, I play on the floor. Y'all should complain about - I don't complain or do politics, so why would I be out here asking for votes? The more in the city, while drunk in my 20s, the most in the city is not even close. And they gone. Love me like I'm, love me like I'm gone. And they gone. Love me like (ph)...

CHANG: Oh, my God. Thank God I don't have to talk that fast on the radio.

(LAUGHTER)

CHANG: And, you know, this video, it's pretty amazing because it includes, like, a nine-person band, right?

CARTER: Yeah, yeah.

CHANG: Often MCs, they're rapping over beats and maybe aren't used to playing with a live band, isn't that the case?

CARTER: That's right.

CHANG: So how have you seen artists adjust their arrangements for the Tiny Desk?

CARTER: You know, I would argue to say that hip-hop has to make the biggest adjustment to fit in tide (ph) of the Tiny Desk space because, like you said, the origins of hip-hop is electronic beats, aggressive, very, very loud. And introducing live instruments and reinterpreting these sounds with live instruments, it's a huge adjustment for lots of bands, lots of MCs. But this year and last year, but this year especially, everybody stepped up.

CHANG: That's so cool.

CARTER: Yeah.

CHANG: Well, OK, what do you have next for us?

CARTER: Brian Brown - we're going to Nashville. This guy...

CHANG: All right.

CARTER: ...He just blows me away, but you got to - you just got to listen to Brian Brown.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FREE")

BRIAN BROWN: (Singing) It's like mind's been all over the place, don't know where it's taking me as of late in search of something more than what I need. Lost and found, came back around now.

CHANG: I couldn't help but notice watching this video that there's a desk there, which is not random, right? Like, one of the requirements for submitting to the contest is that artists need to have...

CARTER: Yes, yes.

CHANG: ...An actual desk in their entry.

CARTER: Yeah, you have to have a desk. That is the requirement. But, you know, people have fun with it. Sometimes people will - they'll make, like, a little small, tiny desk. They'll have a toy desk.

CHANG: (Laughter).

CARTER: I saw a couple of bands put a desk in the palm of their hand.

CHANG: Aw.

CARTER: As long as we see one, that's all good. The thing I love about Brian Brown, and one of the things I love most about where hip-hop is and where it's grown into is that it's gotten very melodic - you know what I mean? - multidimensional. Brian Brown - he can sing, and he's got bars, too.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FREE")

BROWN: (Rapping) We don't want no problems, but it seems like we got to cause one for some resolve around here. Wash, rinse, recycle - history repeats itself crystal clear (ph).

CARTER: And I just love that hip-hop has grown and developed into not just one thing, and Brian Brown just does it as good as anybody.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FREE")

BROWN: (Rapping) Told you there was something in that water. Now hear me, man - it's sink or swim (ph).

CHANG: Well, you know, you're so lucky that you get to be one of the judges for this contest. Can I ask you, what is it like behind the scenes? Like, when you're having conversations with the other judges as you're watching these entries, what are you guys thinking about? What are you guys arguing about? Like, how do you even decide among all these choices (laughter)?

CARTER: Yeah, you know, this year, for me, had my anxiety through the roof because the level of talent this year. Everybody just brought it. So in those rooms, we all go into the rooms with our favorites. And the thing that I noticed about this year is, like, everybody had a - pretty much a different top 10. There were a lot of bands that could have easily won this thing. So if any of these bands are listening, please, please, please prepare to enter next year because you never know just how close you are to winning this thing.

CHANG: Wow. OK, well, who else do you want to give a shout-out to today?

CARTER: Oh, God. Let's go with nobigdyl. We're going to go with nobigdyl.

CHANG: But they're actually a big deal, huh?

CARTER: A huge deal.

CHANG: (Laughter).

CARTER: And I'll tell you why after we hear a little bit of "GO WITH THE GHOST."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GO WITH THE GHOST")

NOBIGDYL: (Rapping) Back like Letterman, packed like sediment, I'm irrelevant. I seek hell and then I reach heaven 'cause Christ, he settled it. Might be celibate, married. All of that stuff got Chucked like Berry. Now my wife in therapy. I be fearin' the price we share when we fight for purity, all sincerity, scary. Yeah.

CHANG: So tell me what about this artist drew you?

CARTER: Well, couple things - when I'm listening to hip-hop, as you grow - you know, as a kid, you know, you just want to dance, you just want to get into the mood, whatever, whatever. But as you get older, you want to relate to these artists, right? And that kind of goes across the board with any genre. But with hip-hop, you have an opportunity to really tell us what's going on in your life.

CHANG: Yeah.

CARTER: And in turn, you relate because, you know, many of us are going through the same things, right? You know, you're talking about this - you know, going to therapy and that kind of thing. Like, people want to hear that they're struggling, too, because we're all struggling with our own thing.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GO WITH THE GHOST")

NOBIGDYL: (Rapping) Opened the door - I had to float through the - I had to with the ghost. I had to go with the ghost.

CHANG: All right, can you take us out on one last entry that you want to highlight?

CARTER: Yeah, Keila Myles & The Moose Knuckles.

(SOUNDBITE OF KEILA MYLES & THE MOOSE KNUCKLES SONG, "SUITE 21")

CARTER: This is a long video that goes so many different places. She starts singing. Then she starts rapping. Then she switches into this patois. It's a very deep song. It's talking about a lot of deep, heavy, heavy, heavy subject matter. And what she's singing about, what she's rapping about, you know, a lot of women deal with, and they need to know - you know, they need to know that, hey, I'm not alone in this. So...

CHANG: Yeah.

CARTER: ...You know, Keila Myles & The Moose Knuckles doing everybody a great service out of Connecticut. This song is called "Suite 21."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUITE 21")

KEILA MYLES & THE MOOSE KNUCKLES: (Rapping) OK, you thought that was it. OK, you thought it was over. Yeah, your open casket will be my only closure 'cause your minutes is limited, and they ain't rollin' over. OK, you thought that was it. OK, you thought it was over. Yeah, your open casket will be my only closure 'cause your minutes is limited, and they ain't rollin' over (ph).

CHANG: This is a song about surviving sexual assault, right?

CARTER: That's right. That's right. This takes a lot of courage. You know, it speaks about strength and resilience, something that survivors have. So it's like, I salute her 'cause it takes a lot of strength and a lot of courage to put a song out like this and then enter it into a contest, you know?

CHANG: Right.

CARTER: Yeah.

CHANG: I salute her, too. Bobby Carter, host of the Tiny Desk, thank you so much for joining me.

CARTER: This is fun, Ailsa. Let's do it again.

CHANG: All right, let's do it again. And you can watch all these entries and more at npr.org/tinydeskcontest.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUITE 21")

KEILA MYLES & THE MOOSE KNUCKLES: (Singing) 'Cause one day, darling... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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