It’s been a long time since Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake last regaled us with one of their “History of Rap” duets—over a year, in fact. But on Wednesday’s Tonight Show, the two brought back their flawless vocal impersonations to deliver another impressively eclectic medley that seamlessly blended together an array of old favorites, from Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” to the Beastie Boys’ “Fight For Your Right.”
While the performance went smoothly, there were a couple moments where the two chose to finally confront head-on the inevitable awkwardness of two privileged white dudes telling the history of rap. When they got to “Straight Outta Compton,” Timberlake reminded Fallon to keep it real about where he comes from. “Jimmy. We’ve been through this before,” Timberlake said. “You are not straight outta Compton. You are straight outta upstate New York.”
