Motivation has always been the leading message of Jeezy’s career and he’s never veered off the path. The Atlanta superstar stayed consistent with his Tiny Desk, focusing on the early chapters of his career and creating a story arc in between songs. “I was able to connect with my people and my culture because we spoke the same language,” he explained before playing “Go Crazy.” “I wanted to inspire and give people the blueprint, people who wanted more for themselves.”

Jay “Jeezy” Jenkins’ music could easily be taken at face value given the number of hits he’s racked up over his two-decade career, but he made his target audience and intention clear through the titles of his Thug Motivation albums. He’s taken his mission far beyond music, excelling as an investor and more recently an author. His memoir, Adversity for Sale: Ya Gotta Believe, made it to the New York Times bestseller list.

The Snowman enlisted Tiny Desk vet and bassist D. Hodge to assemble a band to breathe new life into selections from his catalog. The string section brought opulence to these gritty street anthems and features two familiar faces: viola player Lelia-Michelle Walker and NPR’s own Ashley Pointer on violin. Jeezy dedicated “Everythang” from TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition to Pointer and showed plenty of love to the group of Howard University students in the crowd. This is Black History at its finest.