'SNL': Chance the Rapper brings the musical comedy as first-time host

Chance the Rapper played to his strength — music — when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time this week.

The rapper, who made two earlier musical appearances on the NBC late-night institution, went traditional in his opening monologue, concocting a humorous holiday song, It’s Thanksgiving Time, designed less for fellowship and more to raise the $1 million he needs to meet his pledge to Chicago’s schools.

“I talked to my accountant, and I do not have it,” he joked. (We’re pretty sure he does.)

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Chance said he saw an opening for a Thanksgiving song, since Turkey Day isn’t known for musical hits. He’s hoping to earn Christmas-song money. Ka-ching!

“Mariah Carey is at that (Rockefeller Center) tree-lighting every year singing All I want for Christmas Is You, and it’s not because she loves giant trees,” he said. “It’s because she loves having a third assistant whose only job is yelling at the second assistant.”

Chance, who showed skill in his comedy bits (Steve Harvey's secret son! A sleazy pizza delivery guy!) opened the song like this: "It's Thanksgiving Time, the one day a year/Where you invite the folks, that you normally fear. It's Thanksgiving Time, where you are forced to see/Every single bad apple, on your whole family tree."

The song went up-tempo, with Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon joining as backup singers and other SNL cast members appearing as a motley crew of mostly undesirable relatives. 

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A little later in a filmed segment, Chance, joined by cast members Chris Redd and Kenan Thompson, played a '90s-style R&B trio, De-Von-Tré, performing a music video titled Come Back.

It sounded like a traditional lost-lover ode, as they sang: "Every night, I turn the TV on and cry/I say, 'Why?' I feel like we're all gonna die."

Then Redd revealed who they were singing to, as he looked lovingly at a picture of former President Barack Obama, which drew big applause from the studio audience.

The trio crooned: "So, come back, Barack, even though he's not allowed/We want you back somehow/I need you in my life."