One of the best, but oft overlooked, hip-hop producers in the world, DJ Shadow, took control of the The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon stage on Tuesday evening(June 14). The accomplished beatsmith was there for the television premiere of the second single off his new album The Mountain Will Fall. “Nobody Speak” features rap duo Run the Jewels who also hopped on stage with DJ Shadow to slay the performance.
The two halves of RTJ, Killer Mike and El-P, went back and forth with old school hip-hop references on the track, which also pays homage to Eazy-E’s 1988 classic “Nobody Move.” You’ll hear El-P throwing some serious shade at Donald Trump as well.
Joined by a two-piece horn section, DJ Shadow alternated between his unmatched turntable scratching and strokes on a drum machine while onstage. The performance was one to remember and gave fans a small glimpse for what they will see when DJ Shadow hits the road on his upcoming tour, which starts in Europe and hits the U.S. in the fall.
After the show, Killer Mike dedicated the performance to “all the victims of violence, from Chicago to Orlando.” El-P backed this statement by flashing the interior of his jacket which had a rainbow heart stitched on the inside.
You can watch the performance below:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=lbuqo6NfVB8