Ms. Lauryn Hill has just about seen it all in her decorated career. She checked off another box with a heartfelt moment when she performed alongside her son YG Marley for his late-night TV debut.
Marley served as the musical guest on Tuesday’s (May 14) episode of The Tonight Show, and his mother surprised fans while opening for him during the soulful family affair. It was her first late-night performance since 2016.
Rocking a yellow jacket over her white blouse and baggy black trousers, Hill kicked off the medley with a stripped-down version of her 1998 classic “Ex-Factor” before YG Marley invaded the stage for a reggae performance of his 2023 debut single “Praise Jah in the Moonlight.”
YG, the son of Hill and Rohan Marley, then moved into his brand new “Survival” single, which interpolates his legendary grandfather Bob Marley’s “Ambush in the Night.” He previously debuted the track during his set at Coachella in April.
The Grammy-winning rapper broke up “Survival” with a politcially charged freestyle, which found Hill name-dropping activists such as Black Panther Huey Newton and Malcolm X.
“That same bullet even shot at Bob Marley for preaching one love as a single authority/ And that bullet doesn’t have to be literal/ They try to take a man down for being political,” she raps.
Before signing off, Hill gave host Jimmy Fallon a shout-out for The Tonight Show celebrating a decade of late-night TV on the air.
Lauryn Hill will also be getting back on the road later this year to resume her Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 25th Anniversary Tour. The 48-year-old canceled a slew of dates last year due to doctor orders related to a vocal strain.
Watch the performance from Lauryn Hill and YG Marley below.
