Late-night T.V. has never been so cool. Last night (February 16), the legendary De La Soul teamed up with The Tonight Show and fellow storied hip-hop icons The Roots to perform the classic title track from their album Stakes Is High. The performance comes right in the middle of a resurgence for De La Soul as their discography finally hit streaming services earlier this month, Stakes Is High was arguably the most anticipated rerelease of them all. The performance featured The Roots’ vocalist Black Though rapping the verses of the recently lost Dave “Trugoy The Dove” who passed away in February of this year.
De La Soul’s performance last night was moving in more ways than one. The Roots found their groove right off the bat as they perfectly recreated the studio version of the album, creating the perfect backdrop for these heartfelt verses. The performance could make a statue break out in tears. Pos towered over the crowd proudly as he made his way into the spotlight for a brief acapella moment, making sure you hear every last syllable as each one matters. The performance ended with a touching tribute to their friend who unfortunately just missed his own time in the spotlight.
Check out the full performance below:
