Jimmy Fallon is just three days into his tenure as host of The Tonight Show, but the 39-year-old multi-threat looks like he’s committed to the same virally intended music sketches that became Late Night’s trademark. His first two nights as Jay Leno’s successor saw performances by U2 and Lady Gaga, a barbershop-style remake of R. Kelly’s classic “Ignition (Remix),” and “The Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing,” co-starring Will Smith. Now, there’s this. Night three included a 90-second segment of NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams rapping the Sugarhill Gang’s historic 1979 single “Rapper’s Delight” — kind of.
Much like President Obama’s rendition of “Call Me Maybe,” the unintentional “Rapper’s Delight” cover is actually a collage of old video clips. So, yes, the folks at Tonight actually took the time to scour news footage to make Brian Williams go, “I said a hip hop / the hippie / the hippie to the hip hip hop,” and so forth. Watch the video, which features an assist from fellow NBC reporter Lester Holt and a cameo from Kathie Lee Gifford, above.
Tim McGraw served as musical guest for the February 19 broadcast. The country giant debuted a glossy new love song called “Shotgun Rider,” due to feature on his next album, out later this year. Watch that performance below.
