John Cena wasn’t about to become another wrestler who dropped a rap album just to cash in on his popularity. The WWE legend actually wanted respect from the hip-hop community, and he knew putting his name on a record wasn’t going to be enough. Cena wanted real rappers to take his music seriously, even if they initially thought a professional wrestler had no business stepping into their world.
While appearing on The Romesh Ranganathan Show alongside Jessica Biel to promote Matchbox: The Movie, Cena opened up about his music career and why earning credibility in hip-hop mattered so much to him.
The conversation started when Romesh Ranganathan praised Cena’s song with Bumpy Knuckles, admitting he initially had doubts about a wrestler trying to become a rapper. However, hearing Cena work with established hip-hop talent completely changed his opinion.
Cena explained that getting legitimate artists involved was exactly what he wanted from the beginning. He wasn’t looking for an easy celebrity music project. He wanted people who actually lived and breathed hip-hop to recognize that he was serious about the genre.
“That was really the the roots of like how can I get the hip-hop community like the rap community to understand that I’m I’m trying to be authentic. I’m doing my best.”
Rather than simply relying on his WWE fame, Cena brought in artists from the New England hip-hop scene and worked closely with Bumpy Knuckles, also known as Freddy Foxxx, to help guide the album.
“And uh we got local artists from the New England scene and we kind of had Freddy Fox Bumpy Knuckles oversee the whole thing. And that you know with with enough resource you can make anything happen.”
Cena’s debut studio album, You Can’t See Me, was released in 2005 and featured his cousin Tha Trademarc. The album also gave WWE fans his entrance theme, “The Time Is Now,” which became one of the most recognizable songs in wrestling. But Cena made it clear that he wanted something more than wrestling fans buying the album because they recognized his name. He wanted experienced rappers and dedicated hip-hop listeners to hear the finished product and come away impressed.
“The throughline and the ethos of it was to just make an album hopefully that hip hop heads and rappers would be like all right I didn’t see that one coming.”
Ranganathan told Cena that his approach had worked, explaining that the collaboration with Bumpy Knuckles convinced him Cena wasn’t simply pretending to be a rapper. For Cena, the entire experience was also about pursuing something he genuinely loved. He described the album as a passion project and looked back on making it as something he was grateful to experience.
“And of course do it to scratch an itch and it’s a passion project and that’s uh gosh what a fun experience to have gone through.”
Cena eventually became one of WWE’s biggest stars and built a successful Hollywood career, but his early rap work remains a major part of his wrestling identity. His music wasn’t just another piece of WWE merchandise to him. He wanted to prove he belonged in hip-hop, and he went out of his way to earn that respect.
What do you think about John Cena’s rap career, and how does his music compare to other wrestlers who have tried their hand at hip-hop? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
