Robert Glasper served as the musical guest on Monday’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, offering a performance of “In Tune”/”Black Superhero”. The twofer appearance saw the celebrated pianist preview his upcoming Black Radio III LP with a bevy of special guests including Rapsody, DJ Jazzy Jeff, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Amir Sulaiman.
The performance opens with Glasper’s somber piano intro to “In Tune” as lauded poet Amir Sulaiman is the first to take the mic. Arriving on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Sulaiman’s spoken word contemplation on what it means to be Black in America centers around the refrain, “We don’t play music, we pray music.”
Out of the darkness of “In Tune”—which saw a Monday release—the triumphant hook of “Black Superhero” emerges as BJ the Chicago Kid takes the stage. Pieced together with “In Tune”, “Black Superhero” offers a ray of hope despite the mounting systemic issues of racism in America as those affected are encouraged to find their own “Black Superhero” on “every block, every corner, every ghetto.” Rapsody professes her own superhero status, as well as pays tribute to MLK, Malcolm X, Jackie Robinson, and other Black superheroes.
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Glasper last week finally revealed details of the long-awaited third installment of his Black Radio series. Out on February 25th via Loma Vista, the genre-fluid pianist’s latest boundary-crossing edition of Black Radio will see contributions from Esperanza Spalding, Q-Tip, Common, Musiq Soulchild, Yebba, Jennifer Hudson, Ant Clemons, Ty Dolla $ign, India.Arie, Ledisi, PJ Morton, Gregory Porter, and more. The album will also host the previously released single “Better Than I Imagined” with H.E.R. and Meshell Ndegeocello as well as “Shine” with D Smoke and Tiffany Gouché.
Watch Robert Glasper perform “In Tune” and “Black Superhero” on Fallon with Rapsody, DJ Jazzy Jeff, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Amir Sulaiman. Click here to pre-order Black Radio III.
Robert Glasper – “In Tune”/”Black Superhero” (ft. Rapsody, BJ the Chicago Kid, Amir Sulaiman, DJ Jazzy Jeff)