WATCH: Lupita Nyong’o freestyles as her rap alter ego ‘Troublemaker’
Lupita Nyong'o wasn't shy about dropping science during an apperance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' under her new rap moniker
Lupita Nyong’o’s talents stretch far, that’s a given. But this week, during an appearance on NBC’S The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she introduced us to her rap alter ego “Troublemaker.”
Monday, the Academy Award winner was sitting with host Fallon to talk about her her new children’s book, Sulwe when the topic of her hidden freestyle skills came up. That’s when Nyong’o revealed that she was actually given the name “Troublemaker” by a hip-hop veteran.
READ MORE: Lupita Nyong’o tapped for documentary to trace the steps of real life, female army ‘Amazons’
“Yes, Troublemaker,” she said of her rap persona. “The thing about Troublemaker, first of all, [is] I was baptized Troublemaker by Common so I feel like it’s legit. It’s something I do in a car, so I need a car. But, OK, if I had a mic…”
Thanks to the magic of television suddenly a mic appeared, followed by her other requirement which was a pair of sunglasses. Seeing that she had all her key ingredients on deck, the actress then agreed to do a quick freestyle, but added, “Only if The Roots will join me.”
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Of course the legendary hip hop band took her up on the offer and soon we were all introduced to MC Troublemaker, which included shout outs to Beyoncé and Jay-Z who have both included Nyong’o in their lyrics previously.
“Much love to the Carters/ Hov and Beyoncé/ They always big me up in a big way/ I’m a brown skin girl so that means a lot/ Hov said we made it, got an Oscar for my props,” she rapped. “Much love to Jimmy and The Roots ‘cause they hot/ Wrote a book about self-love, Sulwe’s ‘bout to drop October 15th/ On time, to cop/ Better go to commercial or these bars won’t stop.”
Meanwhile, the 36-year-old’s film, Little Monsters, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival premiere back in January, will be in theaters for ONE day only, on October 8th. And as she mentioned in the freestyle, Sulwe drops October 15th. Check out the segment below where she explains to Fallon how she used her experiences with colorism to fuel her passion for that project.
