Two big-time hip-hop names descended upon Studio 8H in Rockafeller Center to give fans of the vaunted sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live a night that was, at the very least, memorable.
The Chicago native was the evening's host, using his monologue to poke a little fun at Mariah Carey's annual tree-lighting appearance in NYC. “Mariah Carey is at that tree-lighting every year singing 'All I Want For Christmas Is You,' and it’s not because she loves giant trees,” he remarked. “It’s because she loves having a third assistant whose only job is yelling at the second assistant.” Soon after, Chance broke out into song, giving viewers a preview of his supposed new Thanksgiving-themed hit. "It's Thanksgiving Time, the one day a year where you invite the folks, that you normally fear," he crooned. "It's Thanksgiving Time, where you are forced to see every single bad apple on your whole family tree."
However, that wasn't the only bit of musical fun Chance had over the course of the night. Teaming with Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd, the trio embarked on a parody that echoed the sounds of Color Me Badd, K-Ci & JoJo, Boyz II Men and other 90's R&B greats. The reason? To try and sing their way back into Barack Obama's heart so that he'll make a return trip to the White House and take up the mantle of President once again. Just like all those famous tracks where the high-flying vocals looked to make up for past wrongs to a spurned lover, Chance the Rapper just wants Obama back in his life. Check out the full video from SNL below.
The Eminem interludes to last night's episode were strong as well. The famed Michigan emcee performed his new track, "Walk On Water," as well as a medley of previous hits that included "Stan" and "Love The Way You Lie." Skylar Grey, who originally penned and sang on the hook to that song before Rihanna was recruited for the final cut, was brought on stage by Slim Shady to help him out with the SNL rendition. The TV slot, which benefited from several days of breathless online promotion by the sketch comedy institution, has fans salivating for his forthcoming album even more.