Jimmy Fallon has a knack for creating viral videos with celeb musicians. But when he pulled Justin Timberlake and hip-hop group The Roots into the same tiny room for some acoustic covers of Justin’s greatest hits, the unlikely collab went viral with 1.6M views in under a year!
Justin, now aged 43, and Jimmy, 50, take centre-sofa surrounded by The Roots’ eleven members. Justin’s greatest hits run like a flashback through the changing tides of pop, Music Man readers are bound to burst out laughing as the performers stylishly craft their nostalgic musical mayhem on budget children’s instruments.
Jimmy Fallon’s pure concentration in hitting his woodblock in time is phenomenal at moments, while the sight of fully trained, professional musicians taking on a rainbow xylophone, kazoo, and tiny plastic maracas is amazing to watch. And considering they’re all playing budget plastic instruments, the band’s sound is exceptional.
Some featured songs include Justin Timberlake’s then-most recent single, “Selfish”; “My Love,” taken from his second album; a verse from his Jay-Z collab, “Suit & Tie”; and his early-career smash hit, “Rock Your Body.”
The “SexyBack” segment is a highlight moment; Justin’s voice sounding just like his 2006 single, cut with hilariously awesome ad libs and backing vocals from The Roots who mimic the most memorable moments of the record. But the way The Roots tapestry their voices into one fresh and full-hearted gospel choir to take on the bridge to Justin’s 2016 hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling” is just phenomenal.
Justin was promoting his most recent album, “Everything I Thought I Was,” which dropped in January 2024, almost a full six years after his last, 2018’s “Man of the Woods.” The Tennessee-born singer shot to fame when he was just 17 when NSYNC’s eponymous debut album hit #2 on the US charts in 1997. NSYNC’s hiatus in 2002 swiftly led to Justin’s debut solo album, “Justified,” which matched NSYNC’s debut at #2 in the US while peaking at #1 in the UK.
Alongside his A-list music career, Justin’s been starring in movies for the last 24 years, titles including “Model Behavior,” “Shrek the Third,” “The Social Network,” “Bad Teacher,” and the Trolls franchise.
Philadelphia-based band, The Roots, meanwhile, boast a legacy just as enduring as Justin’s, debuting in 1995 and since becoming three-time Grammy winners and eleven-time nominees for their eclectic fusion of hip hop-meets-jazz. In 2009, they got the gig as the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, before following the show host over to The Tonight Show.
If you would like to hear more from this talented musician you can subscribe to their YouTube Channel for more incredible music.
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