The Roots and Bilal curated a song for the Detroit movie soundtrack. Though much of the tracklist sees music from the period of the movie — the ’60s in Motown — Questlove, Thought, Bilal and the gang made a stunning song called “It Ain’t Fair” that captures the feelings of oppressive events both then and now black people face.
Given The Roots have a spot alongside Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, it’s only proper the band and Bilal perform the single. And it turned out to be one of the best late-night performances I’ve seen this year. It’s cinematic (the song’s made for a movie, after all) and explosive, starting and ending with an eerily calming symphony. Soulful shrieks from Bilal and energetic and empowered verse from Black Thought land between punches from Questlove and the blaring horn section.
Watch the performance of “It Ain’t Fair” below.
