John Cena declares his Mt. Rushmore of rappers, warns his list could "incite riots"
John Cena was recently asked to name his Mt. Rushmore of rappers but jokingly warned that his list could start a riot. Cena is a fan of hip-hop and even incorporated rap into his WWE gimmick at the start of his career on the main roster.
In an appearance on Shannon Sharpe's popular podcast Club Shay Shay, the 16-time WWE World Champion discussed a variety of topics, from his upbringing to his career in pro wrestling and Hollywood. One of the aspects of his career was his "Doctor of Thuganomics" gimmick, which eventually led to a rap album in 2005.
Sharpe asked Cena to name his Mt. Rushmore of rappers. Here's what the Cenation leader said:
"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 word play, 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. [From 29:27 - 30:02]
John Cena was born and raised in the small town of West Newbury, Massachusetts, and used rap as part of his rebellious phase. It came in handy early in his career and was the catalyst for him to become a main eventer in WWE.
Rapping saved John Cena's WWE career
John Cena became one of the greatest WWE superstars ever with the help of a rapper gimmick. But before all of it happened, Cena was close to being fired because he didn't have a character that stood out.
It all changed when he started freestyling on a bus when the company was on tour and Stephanie McMahon heard him. McMahon was part of the creative team back then and helped launch Cena's career with the "Doctor of Thuganomics" character.
"On the tour bus overseas, they travel us all together, and some of the guys are freestyling in the back. So I went in the back and waited for my turn and joined in, and just did the best I could and tried to unleash the fury. ... In the front of the bus was Stephanie McMahon, and she was the head of the writing team," Cena said in an appearance on the Whiskey Ginger podcast last year. [H/T: HipHopDX]
It will be interesting to see if John Cena will revisit his past gimmicks during his farewell tour next year. Cena brought back the "Doctor of Thuganomics" character during his match against The Fiend at WrestleMania 36.