Sweet Chin Music 2: The Mega Powers Explode! 5 More Wrestling References in Hip-Hop
January 26, 2012 No comments yet
When Public Enemy’s Chuck D declared rap music to be “CNN for the streets,” he omitted that it could also serve as the USA Network. From Salt ‘N’ Pepa accompanying portly wrestling rhyme-writer PN News ringside to Wyclef Jean enlisting The Rock as a Refugee All-Star to John Cena teaming up with indie-rap *it* producer Jake One for his entrance theme, the rap and wrestling connection is a long and storied one.
After last year’s original Sweet Chin Music post on wrestling references in rap music, I noticed an influx of squared-circle heroes being shouted out all over some of the past year’s most acclaimed releases. With the blessing of MJF and the power of Hulkamania, I bring you Sweet Chin Music 2: The Mega Powers Explode!
Killer Mike – “Ric Flair”
From the album Pl3dge
Atlanta’s proud histories of professional wrestling and Hip-Hop have always gone hand-in-hand. Andre 3000 of Outkast arrived in 1994 declaring it was “time to drop these ‘bows like Dusty Rhodes”, his partner Big Boi and Kilo have stated intentions to “DDT That Hoe” and one of the hottest producers in rap today borrows the name Lex Luger. Last year Killer Mike built an inspirational tale of rising out of poverty using Ric Flair interview snippets in place of a chorus for that extra touch of charisma.
Don Trip & Starlito – “Boats and Hoes”
From the free mixtape Step Brothers
Last July, to coincide with the film’s 3rd anniversary, former Ca$h Money artist Starlito teamed with Don Trip for a concept mixtape loosely based around the movie Step Brothers. The release captures the energy of the film with the two unleashing lyrics with absurd references to out-entertain each other and listeners. On “Boats and Hoes,” their humorous loose cannon stream of consciousness is perhaps best summed up with the off-the-top-rope lyrics “I don’t get as high as I used to – Vince Carter / I’m lyin’, I’m flyin’, I’m Brian Pillman high!”
Action Bronson – “Amuse Bouche”
From the free EP The Program
Queens rapper and respected chef Action Bronson might very well be the biggest wrestling fan in Hip-Hop. From naming a song on his album Dr. Lector after frequent loser “Barry Horowitz” to opening his song “Mr. Songwriter” with “Peace to the Ultimate Warrior,” his passion for wrestling seems second only to rapping itself. On “Amuse Bouche,” off his free EP The Program, Bronson boasts he’s “been fly since the Big Boss Man feud with the Mountie” as well as proudly calls himself “a rocker like Marty Jannetty.”
Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – “The Maltese Falcon Parts 1 and 2”
From the free mixtape Lost in Translation
Perhaps the most inventive of wrestling references has come from Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire. From “piledriving the pussy like Paul Orndoff” to poignantly describing childhood escapism with “what went on in my room? Demolition vs. Legion of Doom” on his mixtape Lost in Translation, he knows how to tap into wrestling nostalgia in the best of ways. On his epic re-imagining of Dashielle Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon, eXquire tells the story substituting Sgt. Slaughter for the antagonist and somehow managing to namedrop the comparatively-obscure Los Boricua member Savio Vega (!) along the way.
Papoose – “Pipe Bomb (Featuring CM Punk)” (Massive Trip Blend)
CM Punk’s “shoot promo” (an interview segment made to appear as if he was going off-script) last June managed to capture social media outlets in a way the WWE hadn’t really been able to before. Along with over a million YouTube views, Punk’s rant racked up an additional 300,000+ views on popular rap media hub WorldStarHipHop. In another testament of Punk making the WWE relevant again, is interviews are being sampled like the wrestlers of yesteryear. Here, producer Massive Trip pairs up the vocals from Papoose’s “Otis” freestyle with an original beat and a “feature” from CM Punk on the chorus, which is as much of a “feature” as Otis Redding was on the original, but somehow the chopping up of Punk’s voice works.
While it’s unfortunate we may never get a full fledged wrestling-rap album on par with Randy Savage’s ‘Be A Man’ (unless Lil Wayne re-enters his “Macho Man” obsession phase), these works from such very different artists show how unifying both wrestling and Hip-Hop can be.
Chaz Kangas is on Twitter. @ChazRaps
