Justin Timberlake Sings Subtle Kanye Slam On ‘SNL’ [Video]
If you missed Saturday Night Live last night, you missed a little dig against Kanye West by host Justin Timberlake.
Timberlake returned to the SNL stage last night, pulling double duty as host and musical guest. Though his performance of “Suit & Tie” paid tribute to the greats like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., it was a subtle dig against Kanye West that really got our attention.
Remember that two weeks ago, Ye went off on a little tangent in London (and yes, we still listen to him when he rants) during which he said “I got love for Hov … I ain’t f***ing with” Timberlake’s single with Jay-Z, the above-mentioned “Suit & Tie.”
Timberlake chose to strike back on SNL last night, partly by performing “Suit & Tie” first in his line-up (his second performance was of “Mirrors”) with a huge backing band, including the Tennessee Kids swooning back-up vocals behind him, and Jay-Z waiting to join backstage. Up until this point, Timberlake hadn’t responded to Kanye’s dig, but slowed his second verse line, directly and subliminally directing it at Ye.
“And aw, sh** so sick, got a hit and picked up a habit,” is the original line, but for the SNL performance, Timberlake changed it to “My hit’s so sick, got rappers acting dramatic.”
Oooh. Ball’s in your court, Ye.
Overall, last night’s SNL was huge for Timberlake. On the set of the long-running late night sketch show, Timberlake fits into the groove like it’s his own well-tailored “suit & tie,” using the format to display his triple-threat skill set: Acting, dancing, and singing.
Timberlake has hosted SNL four times, and it’s always a good time. His tenure has given us memorable sketches like Dick in a Box, Omeletteville, and Single Ladies. Not to gush, but he’s simply a sublime and ranged SNL host. That’s probably why they keep asking him to come back.
Here’s video of Timberlake performing “Suit & Tie” on Saturday Night Live. The Kanye dig happens around 2:18, but the whole performance is pretty slick. Let us know what you think!
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