( CNN ) -- It took Drake only one try to become one of `` Saturday Night Live 's '' best hosts . On the January 18 episode , the rapper dusted off his acting skills -- honed on `` Degrassi : The Next Generation '' -- and seamlessly brought `` SNL '' back from its hiatus with its newest cast member , Sasheer Zamata . Zamata was recently hired after the NBC sketch comedy show was criticized for its noticeable lack of African-American women , and made her debut on January 18 . Behind the scenes , `` SNL '' has also added two new African-American women writers , LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones . On Saturday , viewers were trying to figure out how `` SNL '' would address its highly publicized hire -- would the show again poke fun at itself by making her take on everyone from the first lady to BeyoncÃ© to Oprah in one sketch , as Kerry Washington did when she hosted last fall , or would it slowly introduce her with just one or two scenes ? In the end , `` SNL '' went with a third option : It used Zamata liberally throughout the show as a supporting player , but her debut was virtually overshadowed by the night 's host , Drake . In addition to performing , the 27-year-old artist participated in nearly every sketch and nailed them , from his opening monologue that recalled his bar mitzvah ... ... to his impersonation of comedian Katt Williams , and his spoof of colleagues Jay Z and Lil Wayne in `` Before They Were Stars . '' In fact , the one person who won the episode more than Drake was Kate McKinnon and her impersonation of Justin Bieber in the cold open : . We were n't the only ones who thought so . `` ( G ) ive credit to host and musical guest Drake for shifting through characters as if he 'd always belonged on the late-night sketch show , '' the Los Angeles Times said in a review . `` Drake showed he had a deft comedic hand on Saturday . '' The Huffington Post 's Mike Ryan was also pleasantly surprised , saying in a review that Drake reminded him of Bruno Mars from last season : `` An energetic host that 's been given so-so material that he 's able to elevate -- to a point . '' And the fact that `` SNL '' fully integrated Zamata into the episode ( versus trying to break her out as a more prominent star ) also meant there was more time for Drake , Entertainment Weekly noted , `` and Drake was really , really great , '' particularly in the `` Before They Were Stars '' sketch .
Rapper Drake appeared and performed on ` ` SNL '' January 11 . It was also new cast member Sasheer Zamata 's debut . This surprised several stars , including Jay Z and Lil Wayne . Critics were pleasantly surprised .