A cursory listen to 2016’s “Ultrlight Beam” confirmed Chance the Rapper is a fan of the PBS animated series Arthur, as the Chicago MC referenced the titular character by rhyming, “I been this way since Arthur was anteater.” After previously covering the Arthur theme song at multiple live performances, Stephen Colbert and Chance linked to share what appears to be a mutual appreciation of the show on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Chance joined Ziggy Marley and Jon Batiste for an acoustic version of the Arthur theme as part of a dream sequence sketch.
Chance sang in a faux Caribbean patois as Marley and Batiste respectively supplied the backing music with an acoustic guitar and a melodica.
“Man, I used to love that show with my kids,” Colbert quipped during the intro to the sketch, which acknowledged Marley as the original author and performer of “What a Wonderful Kind of Day.”
Arthur was co-opted into internet culture courtesy of a flood of memes during the fall 2016. The memes saw stills from the family-friendly show overlaid with humorous adult situations on various social media platforms. A PBS spokesperson released a statement voicing the network’s disapproval after several of the memes featuring Arthur and his animated co-stars in sexual or violent situations went viral.
Chance the Rapper has previously performed “What a Wonderful Kind of Day” with The Social Experiment and Wyclef Jean.
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