In part a result of his on-air band being none other than the legendary Roots crew, talk show host Jimmy Fallon set out to shine a national spotlight on the hip-hop community throughout his tenure at Late Night. Now several (highly successful) months into his role as host of The Tonight Show, the trend has healthily continued.
Yesterday evening saw rap’s still-rising superstar, Kendrick Lamar, once more deliver one of the finest live television performances of hip-hop in recent memory. Backed by an assortment of live instrumentation and programmed drum breaks courtesy of Araab Muzik, Lamar kicked off the stellar performance with a fervor-filled verse before Alicia Keys took over.
Also joined by legendary movie scorer Hans Zimmer and guitarist Johnny Marr of The Smiths and Modest Mouse, the ensemble’s live rendition of “It’s On Again” contained tremendous energy and a handful of spine-tingling moments.
Watch the video below. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 hits theaters May 2.