On the September 29,2010 edition of the “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” show, Justin Timberlake, Fallon, and the Roots performed a tribute to Hip Hop that has gotten quite a bit of buzz.
While I’ll admit it was pretty cool to watch, I realized that this may be the day that Hip Hop officially died. Not for the 18-35 demographic, mind you, as these songs are part of our “story”. But when Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon (WTF?) can rock the mic with a crowd that wouldn’t be out of place on the Oprah Winfrey show, this spells huge trouble for the genre with next generation of consumers.
Think back to when you were a kid and wouldn’t touch Rock N’ Roll because it wasn’t cool anymore. Think it’s a stretch? Look at these guys:
Be honest, could they have ever pulled this off during Hip Hop’s heyday? Could you imagine Jimmy Fallon rolling with Tupac back in the day? Justin Timberlake battling Biggie Smalls? Not likely.
WuTang Clan wouldn’t have f#$%ed with these guys. Humpty Hump wouldn’t have let them dance. Shit, even the Beastie Boys wouldn’t have let them sleep in Brooklyn.
What’s next, Fonzie covering Public Enemy?
Repo's Delight 