Watch Stephen Colbert break down Chance the Rapper’s ‘Favorite Song’

Stephen Colbert recently broke down the rhyme and rhythm scheme of a Chance the Rapper verse for Rolling Stone. Being a Lord of the Rings enthusiast, Colbert compares Chance the Rapper’s “Favorite Song” featuring Childish Gambino, with JRR Tolkien, as well as the Victorian-era theatrical team Gilbert and Sullivan. With Colbert’s authentic enthusiasm and clear explanation of thought, the video gracefully places Chance’s poetic artistry with some of the most notable storytellers in history.

The specific verse the Late Night host discussed is “Bang bang bang [sic], skeet skeet skeet // She do that thing for three retweets // the album feel like ’92, now that take ball ‘fore he three-peat // Chance on acid, cruising on that LSD // Asked Joseph about my deal; he turned and said, ‘Hell yeah, let’s eat!’”

Colbert discusses the rare staccato flow and internal rhyme scheme, racking his brain for where he’s heard that before. “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General,” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1879 opera The Pirates of Penzance was the first comparison. The second was the rare rhyme and rhythm scheme that influenced the rest of  Tolkien’s iconic Lord of the Rings series.

H/T: Rolling Stone