WWE Champ John Cena Takes It Out Of The Ring And Onto Wax
May 4, 2005
MTV.Com

WWE champion John Cena raps in front of millions of people every week (if you combine the audiences at his live wrestling shows with those watching at home). They've seen him give props to people like Jadakiss and 50 Cent by quoting their lines, like

"The champ is here" and "This is how we do." Cena has also won over his fans by dropping his own freestyles for the past couple of years.

So you would think, WWE owner Vince McMahon being the marketing genius he is, that Cena would have already capitalized on his fame and churned out a hip-hop album years ago. Cena said the thought had crossed his mind, but he wasn't ready: He wanted to study the craft more, as opposed to taking the money and running.

"Most of the stuff I do [on TV] is freestyle," he explained in New York earlier this week. "There's a very big difference between being a freestyle rapper and being an MC making music."

Cena, who's releasing his debut, You Can't See Me, with his partner Tha Trademarc on May 10, said he'd stepped into the studio for the first time a couple of years ago to record a theme song that was also used as his ring-entrance music. It opened his eyes.

"We didn't even do the typical music format," Cena said. "We spit our rhymes, threw in the scratches, spit our rhymes. We didn't know how to go in the studio and make music, but we was like, 'OK, we're here. Let's start doing stuff.' So in the little time off I had [from wrestling], I kept hitting the studio. And in the process of two and half years, I evolved from a freestyle rapper, going in on a track spitting 60 bars, to going in and making music: learning what 16 bars is, learning how to ride beats, learning where to put the hook and diversify what you are as an MC."

Cena credits New York MC Freddie Foxx, a.k.a. Bumpy Knuckles, not only as his teacher, but as a drill instructor for what he calls "hip-hop boot camp." Foxx was especially tough on Cena in the beginning because he doubted the grappling king's sincerity. Eventually, John proved himself.

"The guy you see on Thursday nights doing his thing is repping for hip-hop," Cena said, referring to his appearances on UPN's "SmackDown" every week. "He's not just out there because they need the hip-hop guy. I'm not exactly the poster child for the movement, but I do what I do because I love it."

On Thursday, Cena debuts the first video from You Can't See Me, "Bad, Bad Man."

"The video we filmed, we wanted to come with something different," John explained. "We wanted to do something funny, something entertaining. That's what I do: I'm an entertainer. So we said, let's do a take off of 'The A-Team.' Bumpy was Mr. T, he was like, 'What about the kids, man? I pity the fool!' When you see the video, he steals it.

"The whole concept of the video is that Gary Coleman finds out the '80s [have been] captured," he continued. "Since he is the '80s staple, he's worried about it. He calls in the Chain Gang to save the '80s. The Chain Gang does what we have to do. By the time we get to the hideout to save the '80s, he just wants to capture us and destroy the '80s so he could get on with his life and doesn't have to hear 'Whatchooo talking 'bout, Willis?' "

Cena said that before shooting, he and his crew studied the timeless TV series for inspiration.

"The car chases with the giant flip-out, the shootouts where people are five feet away from each other and nobody is dying, the dialogue in the car, the crazy big explosions," he said, detailing what to look for. "We watched so much 'A-Team,' we tried to pick out the cheesy gimmicks they used in every show and put 'em all in four minutes."

John C. even took time out from his shoot to reciprocate love from one of his biggest fans, thanks to Christina Aguilera.

"Her little brother is a huge fan, and it was his birthday," Cena said. "One of the people on the set was hooked in with her and asked me if it was all right if she stopped by. I was like, 'Yes!' She came by and brought her little brother and a friend, and they had the kickoff for the birthday celebration."

Songs on You Can't See Me include "If It All Ended Tomorrow," where Cena advises listeners to give their best at whatever they do; "Beantown," where he gives props to Boston; and "Just Another Day," where Cena and Trademarc exchange verses comparing and contrasting their lives.

And on May 22 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Cena will have a major spotlight on him — for his main profession. He defends his blinged-out belt (replete with a spinner) against the man he defeated for the title at WrestleMania 21, JBL, in an "I Quit" match. The only way to come out the victor in that contest is to make your opponent quit.

If Cena is truly an MC, he should win with no problems. We all know rappers don't quit: They retire, then come back a few months later.