Cordae created a memorable mother-son moment at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert this week with a touching performance.
Cordae created a memorable mother-son moment at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert with a touching duet.
The Raleigh, North Carolina, native invited his mom, Jennifer Dunston, to perform alongside him in a touching tribute to her singing dreams.
The standout highlight of the intimate set was their duet of “06 Dreamin’,” a track directly inspired by Cordae’s mother’s musical aspirations.
Dunston’s vocals appear on the original track. However, Cordae surprised the audience by bringing his mother on stage to deliver her part live.
Brought my momma on to my tiny desk ! It was always a dream of hers to be a singer, so I wanted to share this moment w her ! #TheCrossroads pic.twitter.com/be21BXt2tg
— Cordae (@cordae) March 19, 2025
“It’s a story of irony, it’s a story about my mom,” Cordae explained during the set. “A true story of how she was an aspiring singer and she just never got her big break to make it. Ironically enough … she’s living that dream through me because I’m here with y’all. I ended up sampling one of her old songs to make this song. But like I said, we back home, man. I don’t got to use the sample, we got the real thing here today.”
The emotional performance marked a full-circle moment for Dunston, who once auditioned for “American Idol” but never achieved the breakthrough she sought.
“Brought my momma on to my tiny desk!” Cordae later tweeted. “It was always a dream of hers to be a singer, so I wanted to share this moment w her!”
The setlist featured several fan favorites, including “Saturday Mornings,” “C Carter,” “Have Mercy,” “Nothings Promised,” and “RNP.”
Cordae’s appearance at Tiny Desk follows the recent release of his album The Crossroads, which dropped in November 2024.
The 16-track project boasts an impressive roster of collaborations featuring heavy hitters such as Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Joey Bada$$, and Anderson .Paak, Juicy J and Ty Dolla $ign.
