I bet you didn’t know John Cena dropped a Hip Hop album that went platinum. We didn’t have that on our bingo cards.
In a recent appearance on “Club Shay Shay,” WWE superstar turned actor John Cena opened up about his early connection to rap music, describing it as an act of rebellion during a time when he craved more attention in his household.
“I was one of five boys, and I had a lot of angst with how the household was being run. I was a rebel. That music found me at the right time,” Cena shared with Shannon.
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Like many young kids who loved real rap music, Cena was drawn to intricate wordplay, poetic bars, and lyrics that provoked deep thought. He revealed that even a powerful social justice anthem like N.W.A.’s “F”ck The Police,” though intense, resonated with him on a personal level. Interesting …
“To a 13-year-old kid, the police are my parents, and it was me who was like, ‘Well, f—k that,” Cena explained to Shannon Sharpe during the interview.
Onto the heavyweights … Cena also discussed his top rap influences, listing Rakim, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Nas as his personal “Mount Rushmore of rap.”
“So for me, Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas, and Rakim. Man, Rakim’s voice. Everyone has their bias. I know that list is obviously going to incite riots. We all have our bias. We all have our favorites. That’s what makes music special. That’s what makes creativity special. I was brought up in the East Coast boom bap. I love wordplay, I love poetry. That’s what I based my character on, so I think all that’s super clever, and that’s my list,” Cena said.
Get this: Cena has been widely credited with introducing hip-hop to the WWE, a company that was traditionally seen as a rock and roll domain. Reflecting on this, Cena recalled, “They didn’t have any depth of field for hip-hop, and I listened to my music being like: ‘I could do better than this.’ I called up a friend who knew a friend who had a studio. We got some beats and we made an album. And that was it, that was it.”
That album, “You Can’t See Me,” remains Cena’s only music release, but it made an impact, debuting at number 15 on Billboard’s 200 list. Cena cited athletes like Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, who also dabbled in music, as influences on his musical career.
ICYMI, Cena has announced his impending retirement from WWE, marking the end of an era for the superstar who excelled in the ring and brought hip-hop into the wrestling spotlight.
Onto bigger and better, primarily Hollywood we’re sure and more.