Leave it to Cardi B to bring a little heat to the NPR Tiny Desk ... because she set the mic on fire with her stripped-down set ... and it's all on video.

The rapper banged out 8 of her hottest hits in under 20 minutes, and she looked like she was having a blast the whole time.

Cardi performed smash hits like "Up" and "Bodak Yellow" ... before closing out the stellar set with her chart-topper "I Like It."

She looked great behind the tiny desk ... belting out her tunes in black leather pants and a blazer.

Cardi had a full-on band packed into a small space ... we're talking bass, piano, guitar, drums, saxophone, trumpet, and some background vocalists ... but, as always, she stole the show.

Between Cardi's personality and performance, she pulled off a fun-filled Tiny Desk that's totally worth re-watching!