Questlove and the Art of the Subversive Musical Dig
The Roots---the house band of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon---are known for sneaking flyby jabs into 10-second snippets of walk-on music.
The Roots—the house band of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon—are known for sneaking flyby jabs into 10-second snippets of walk-on music. We compiled the best of bandleader Questlove's cleverly subversive ditties for recent political guests.
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesDonald Trump
[“20 Feet Tall,” by Erykah Badu](https://archive.org/details/WESH_20160112_043400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/1140/end/1200); “What More Can I Say?” by Jay Z
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesBarack Obama
[“Looking at the Front Door,” by Main Source](https://archive.org/details/WCAU_20160610_033400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/1140/end/1200)
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesChris Christie
[“Follow the Leader,” by Eric B. & Rakim](https://archive.org/details/WCAU_20150901_033400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/1080/end/1140); [“The Bridge Is Over,” by Boogie Down Productions](https://archive.org/details/WRC_20160402_033400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/2220/end/2280)
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesStephen Colbert
[“Best Imitation of Myself,” by Ben Folds Five](https://archive.org/details/KNTV_20140308_073400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/1140/end/1200)
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesJohn Oliver
“[Just Last Week,” by Big K.R.I.T;](https://archive.org/details/KNTV_20140423_063400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/2460/end/2520) [“Last Week” (originally “One Week,” by Barenaked Ladies)](https://archive.org/details/WESH_20160128_043400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/2400/end/2460)
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesRahm Emanuel
[“Ugly,” by Chief Keef and Soulja Boy](https://archive.org/details/KNTV_20140604_063400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/2640/end/2700)
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesTed Cruz
[“I Happen to Like New York,” by Cole Porter](https://archive.org/details/WRC_20160415_033400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/2460/end/2520)
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesBill O’Reilly
[“Reagan’s Dead”](https://archive.org/details/WHDH_20151104_043400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/1560/end/1620) (originally “Raise the Dead,” by Mac Lethal)
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesBernie Sanders
[“Burn,” by Deep Purple](https://archive.org/details/WHO_20151209_043400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/1080/end/1140)
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesJeb Bush
[“The Leader of the Band,” by Lewis Taylor](https://archive.org/details/WCAU_20150617_033400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/51/end/111?q=Jimmy+Fallon+Jeb+Bush)
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesRachel Maddow
[“Dead Presidents,” by Jay Z](https://archive.org/details/WRC_20161104_033400_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon/start/49/end/109?q=jimmy+fallon+rachel+maddow)
Dan WintersRead More
[Check out more from the April issue's package on comedy in the Trump age.](https://www.wired.com/2017/03/the-comedy-of-politics/)
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Lauren Murrow is a senior editor at WIRED, where she edits the features, Ideas, and the Opinion section. She also oversees 6x6, the magazine’s back page. Prior to joining WIRED she was the market editor at New York magazine and deputy editor at San Francisco magazine, covering technology, design, and ... Read More
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