When Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake teamed up with the Roots to perform “The History of Rap” last September, it was a blast — a fun and funny walk through some of rap’s most influential songs. Then they did a second volume this summer, and it was noticeably watered down. Four months have gone by since then, and now we’ve got a third edition (video below).
The performance is fine — it’s good, really — but it feels predictable. “Oh, here’s the part where they finish the medley in the audience.” And while I enjoyed Timberlake razzing Fallon about not having to use his AK, I was equally embarrassed to see them include a slice of “Jump Around,” the whitest rap hit of all time. C’mon guys, leave that one to the DJs working high school dances and boring people’s weddings.
Track list (thanks to Robopanda):
Run-DMC – “King of Rock”
LL Cool J – “Mama Said Knock You Out”
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince – “Parents Just Don’t Understand”
De La Soul – “Me, Myself, and I”
JJ Fad – “Supersonic”
Sir Mix-a-Lot -”Baby Got Back”
Young MC -”Bust a Move”
House of Pain – “Jump Around”
Ice Cube – “Today Was a Good Day”
Coolio – “Gangsta’s Paradise”
Fugees – “Killing Me Softly”
Beastie Boys – “Sabotage”
Jay-Z – “I Just Wanna Love You (Give It To Me)”
Outkast – “Ms. Jackson”
Snoop Dog – “Drop It Like It’s Hot”
Kanye West – “Stronger”
Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”
Naughty By Nature – “Hip Hop Hooray”
