Life is weird. When I was a kid, rap giant Ice-T’s metal band Body Count caused a national moral outrage with their song “Cop Killer.” Police unions were boycotting a major record label, and Ice was worried that a cop might assassinate him. Now, Ice-T has spent decades playing the role of TV cop, and he still makes Body Count records on the side. Last night, Ice-T and Body Count covered Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show.

Last month, Body Count released their album Merciless, and it features a version of “Comfortably Numb” that sounds absolutely nothing like Pink Floyd’s 1979 original. It’s got big, nasty riffs and Ice-T rapping about societal issues. It also features Floyd’s David Gilmour on guitar. Gilmour and his former bandmate Roger Waters don’t agree on much these days, but they both agreed to clear Body Count’s version of the song.

Last night, Body Count were musical guests on The Tonight Show, which itself is pretty amazing, even if Jimmy Fallon and Ice-T are both NBC employees. Fallon also interviewed Ice-T, and he talked about the process of getting Pink Floyd’s approval for that cover. Watch the performance and the interview below.

I guess NYPD heard BodyCount was performing on @FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/F4usRMTILM

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) December 4, 2024

Merciless is out now on Century Media. I once watched Body Count play “Cop Killer,” with Ice throwing in ad-libs: “Cop killer! I play one on TV! Cop killer! They can suck my dick!” Body Count are the best.