Justin Timberlake is the voice of reason in Jimmy Fallon's new 'History of Hip Hop'

Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake performa a master class in rap history

(Image credit: The Tonight Show)

last updated 10 September 2015

Maybe Jimmy Fallon just needed a little competition. Fallon kicked off Wednesday's Tonight Show with a crowd-pleasing show of mic chops and an occasional hint of staged rage, performing a "History of Hip Hop" with Justin Timberlake. The duo spent a fair amount of time on the contemporary end — Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Chris Brown — but have plenty of throwbacks, ending with the Beastie Boys' first big hit. Timberlake had some fun reining Fallon in when he got a bit too into the act — "You are not straight outta Compton," he reminded the host, "you're straight outta Upstate New York" — winking at the fact that it was two white guys on the microphones.

Fallon and Timberlake pushed the boundaries of network-approved language a bit — there's no bleeping out Lamar's "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" — but this is mostly safe for work (and maybe even your parents). And whatever else it is, it's a good show. You can watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.