Stephen Colbert had Chance the Rapper’s lyrics ready to go. He listened to them on his commute (from his bedroom to another room, where he recorded Monday’s Late Show under recommended social-distancing practices), he Googled the lyrics once or twice or 13 times, and then he was live on Zoom with Chance himself, waiting, waiting for Chance to finish talking about his grandma. “I’ve never met her, but I feel like I know your grandma because I know she could say with her voice in her way that she loves you, with her eyes, with her smile, with her belt, with her hands, with her money,†Colbert starts rapping Chance’s song “Sunday Candy.†“You are the thesis of her prayers, her nieces and her nephews are just pieces of the layers, only one she love as much as you is Jesus Christ and Taylor.†“Whaat,†Chance the Rapper’s little Zoom square musters. Not only is the song five years old, but it’s not even released under Chance’s name — it’s from his band, Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment’s album Surf, featuring an uncredited Jamila Woods. Colbert takes it all the way through to the second verse, with no help on the lyrics from Chance. “Damn, why are you so good at rapping, dude?†he laughs. “Well,†Colbert expertly segues with a compliment and a plug, “I better learn how to rap because you’re learning how to host.†That’s right, folks, Chance the Rapper is the new host of Punk’d, revived and now on Quibi. A little promo is the least Colbert can do considering he just ended Chance’s rap career.
