Last night, multiple GRAMMY-winning Chicago artist Chance The Rapper joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) as their weekly guest host. The famously against-the-grain young artist proved to be a highly entertaining MC for the evening. First, in his opening monologue, Chance explained that he wasn’t there to promote any project–he was just trying to become the “Mariah Carey of Thanksgiving.” He used that as an introduction for a new holiday-appropriate song (“It’s Thanksgiving time, the one day a year/where you invite the folks that you normally fear./It’s Thanksgiving time when you are forced to see/every single bad apple on your whole family tree.).
Watch Chance the Rapper’s opening monologue below via Saturday Night Live (SNL) on YouTube
Chance The Rapper Inspires Chicago Bulls To Donate $1 Million To Chicago Public Schools
Chance appeared in a number of great skits and shorts throughout the episode, including playing an overly excited kid on school career day, a hockey announcer, a member of a scorned old-school 70’s hip hop pioneer speaking out about ignorant young rappers who don’t know their roots.
Watch the “Rap History” sketch from last night, featuring hilarious cameos from Questlove, Common, and, of course Chance The Rapper about fictional MC “Lil Doo Doo”, played by Pete Davidson:
The highlight of Chance’s top-notch SNL stint, however, was a short music video featuring him alongside cast members Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd that channeled the vintage early-90s output of superstar R&B crooners Boyz II Men, featuring the same lavishly-decorated sets, spoken heartfelt interludes–the whole nine yards. The video begins as a familiarly wistful lament to a past flame that’s moved on, but it’s not until the song’s first chorus that you realize who they’re singing to: former President Barack Obama. As the parody trio (dubbed De-Von-Tre) sings, “Every night, I turn the TV on and cry / I say why, I feel like we’re all gonna die / So come back, Barack,” the trio sing. “Even though it’s not allowed / We want you back somehow / I need you in my life / So come back, Barack / We didn’t know what we had / Now things are looking bad / Like really bad, like world war bad, like nuclear bad / So come back, Barack.”
Watch Chance The Rapper, Kenan Thompson, and Chris Redd’s “Come Back Barack” parody from Saturday Night Live:
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Chance also took great joy in announcing the episode’s musical guest, polarizing hip-hop heavyweight Eminem, who performed a medley of his 2017 track “Walk On Water”, his powerful 2000 classic “Stan”, and his 2010smash hit Rihanna collaboration “Love The Way You Lie”. You can watch the video below via SNL on YouTube: