Back in 2011, when Jimmy Fallon was still a dewy-eyed Late Night host and not a towseler of Donald Trump’s hair on The Tonight Show, Tyler, The Creator made his network TV debut alongside Hodgy Beats as Odd Future. They played “Sandwitches” with The Roots, Tyler ran around the set like a dangerously caffeinated kid, and Fallon, behind his his everything-is-fine grin, seemed terrified.
But Tyler is a polymathic mini-mogul now, and his energy is channeled into crafting pretty-sounding records like Flower Boy and making new flavors of of maple syrup, not getting piggy backs off of TV hosts. Last night he joined Fallon again on The Tonight Show to perform “See You Again” with Kali Uchis. The Roots were there again but, instead of a guttural tuba, there were some refined horns; instead of an impression of the girl from The Ring, there was a string section. Tyler did what he did on most of Flower Boy, staying present in the track without trying to take over. He and Uchis trade off nicely. It’s worth watching in full at the top of the page.
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