On Saturday night (November 20), comedian Pete Davidson recruited a crew of Method Man, Marc Cohn, and rapper Big Wet for a parody of Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis” that Davidson, who is famously from Staten Island, called “Walking in Staten.”
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Davidson, who has been in the news lately for his recent courtship and relationship with reality television star Kim Kardashian, starred in the 2020 movie King of Staten Island.
Davidson recently posted a photo of him, Kardashian, her mother, and rapper Falvor Flav, writing, “FLAVA FLAVVVVVVV”
The parody song, which aired about halfway through the most recent Saturday Night Live episode, is one of a string of videos Davidson has produced for the famed variety show, including the Eminem parody, “NFTs,” and a collab with Taylor Swift the previous week.
Cohn’s original tune, “Walking in Memphis,” was released in March of 1991. The ballad is an ode to the music town. Cohn won the Grammy in 1992 for Best New Artist.
Davidson’s version is an ode to his beloved Staten Island, but of course, with a comedic twist. Look over there, that’s a dead body, Method Man says. There are garbage dumps you can see from space, Davidson describes.
Along with the hilarity of the song, it’s also a gem for its features. Method Man, whose famous Wu-Tang Clan is also from Staten Island, drops an excellent verse. And Cohn, who jokes about not wanting to be in the song, sings with his signature rasp.
The three, with rapper Big Wet, even share nice cheers after Method Man jokes that he’s Italian for “tonight!” (in a historically prideful Italian part of New York). Check out the parody below.
On Saturday, November 27, SNL will air a re-run of the show in which Kardashian hosts and Halsey is the musical guest. (Perhaps shooting that original episode earlier this year is how she and Davidson sparked their romance?)
The next new SNL episode will see Billie Eilish as both host and musical guest.
