Tuxedo: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

The pairing of Tuxedo is a natural feel in person, but highly unlikely on paper. Seattle-based producer Jake One has a who’s-who client list, from Rick Ross to 21 Savage — while DJ, singer-songwriter and producer Mayer Hawthorne is a renaissance soul man from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They stealthily debuted three tracks on SoundCloud in 2013 with only a black square stamped “Tuxedo” as the cover art, leaving fans wondering where this new funk was coming from. A few months later they unveiled their identities along with a debut self-titled LP, resurrecting a sound popularized by greats like The Gap Band, The Fatback Band and Roger Troutman.