DJ Shadow teamed up with rap duo Run the Jewels on Tuesday night to deliver a powerful and timely performance of their collaboration, "Nobody Speak," on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. RTJ's Killer Mike dedicated the performance to "all the victims of violence, from Chicago to Orlando," and his group mate El-P opened his coat after the song was over to reveal a rainbow heart.
The crew was joined by a two-piece horn section for the tune, which will appear on Shadow's forthcoming album The Mountain Will Fall, due out on June 24. The album will mark Shadow's first new release since 2011's The Less You Know, The Better.
"Nobody Speak" is a mix of old and new, moving back and forth between digs at Donald Trump and nods to golden age hip-hop. The tune's hook pays homage to Eazy-E's 1988 classic "Nobody Move," and El and Mike also pay tribute to the oft-sampled 1987 Audio Two song "Top Billin'."
On the Tonight Show stage, DJ Shadow alternated between virtuosic turntable scratching and playing a drum machine, giving fans a glimpse of what they can expect on his upcoming tour, which starts in Europe and hits the U.S. in the fall.
As expected, the performance drove fans of both acts into a frenzy on social media.
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Check out the performance in the video above.
