After starring in multiple billion-dollar film franchises and being nominated for a Tony Award, it’s safe to say that Lupita Nyong’o‘s acting resume is pretty solid. As it turns out, though, she’s got another, not-so-hidden talent: She’s apparently a decent enough rapper that no less an authority than Common blessed her with her very own rap name, Troublemaker. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night, Fallon prompted the actress/MC for a demonstration of her talent, leading to a lighthearted freestyle backed by The Roots.
After explaining how she found out that she’d been name-checked by both Beyonce and Jay-Z, she returned the favor during her freestyle, rapping, “Much love to the Carters / Hov and Beyonce / They always big me up in a big way / I’m a brown skin girl, so that means a lot / Hov said we made it, got an Oscar for my props / Much love to Jimmy and The Roots ‘cause they hot / Wrote a book about self-love, Sulwe’s ‘bout to drop/ October 15th, on time, to come / Better go to commercial or these bars won’t stop.” All things considered, for a self-declared non-rapper, she showed a pretty impressive grasp of flow, although she did jokingly refer to herself as “a fraud” and say that it was just something she did for fun.
As she points out during her rap, Lupita’s new children’s book, Sulwe, is out October 15 through Simon & Schuster.
