Lil Wayne and The Roots Debut on SNL 50

Lil Wayne fronted The Roots on “SNL50: The Anniversary Special”

The Jazz Fest headliners made their public debut on Sunday night on the 50th anniversary show of “Saturday Night Live.”

The 50th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live opened and closed on nostalgic notes, with Sabrina Carpenter helping early SNL musical guest Paul Simon get through “Homeward Bound,” and Sir Paul McCartney playing the end of side two of Abbey Road. In between, Miley Cyrus seemed superfluous next to Brittany Howard on their version of “Nothing Compares to U,” and Lil Wayne and The Roots played a medley of his songs.

The performance served as a preview of their upcoming Jazz Fest set, and it was best seen as a successful proof of concept. The DJ was missing from the mix, but The Roots groove in a way that respects hip-hop while staying true to themselves. Lil Wayne has performed with bands that seeming aspired to arena rock fame at his expense, so their taste and restraint is valuable.

My preference is always for a rapper backed by a DJ, but considering the niche The Roots and leader Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson have carved for themselves in hip-hop and popular culture, the pairing feels like a way to acknowledge Lil Wayne’s significance after he was passed over for the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans. The collaboration certainly puts Lil Wayne in a context Jazz Fest faithful can process by surrounding him with respected musicians, and it makes the set more of an event.

Lil Wayne with The Roots creates some interesting questions about what will happen. On SNL50: The Anniversary Special, they played a medley of songs that most of us would rather hear at full length. Since rappers often cut songs off after a couple of verses and choruses, it will be interesting to see how these songs play out in a concert.

It will also be interesting to see if The Roots rein Weezy in somehow, and if they do, will it be in good or bad ways. Lil Wayne sets have often felt as mercurial as his talent, and the loose structure meant that shows didn’t always hit as well as moments. It’s easy to imagine The Roots helping him address that, but since Lil Wayne’s talents are fundamentally improvisational, you don’t want to see him restrained. The evidence here is promising.