The Truth About Dwayne Johnson's Rap Debut
Dwayne Johnson can now add "rapper" to his bio. In a recent interview with Variety, the popular actor discussed his recent rap debut, explaining what inspired him to pick up the mic. "I never had the ambition to be a hip hop artist or a rapper," The Rock said. "But I did see an opportunity here to create a song that really inspired and motivated me to push for more and fight for more."
"I've always loved music," he continued. "I love hip hop and blues and outlaw country music." Johnson's newly launched rap career isn't motivated by money or fame, though. "That's not the important thing," Johnson said. "The things that get my attention these days and get me out of bed have to be the things that I absolutely love and am absolutely passionate about."
He continued, "Honestly, it just comes down to passion, having fun — and are people going to enjoy it? That's it. That's the bottom line." What kind of rap artists is Johnson looking to collaborate with, you may ask? He doesn't discriminate, as long as the vibe feels right. "If the song is right and if the collaboration feels real and authentic, I would love that." It looks like the right opportunity did come through, as Johnson made his debut with the help of a popular indie rapper.
Dwayne Johnson rapped on Tech N9ne's 'FACE OFF'
On October 8, Tech N9ne released his new single, "FACE OFF," featuring Joey Cool, King Iso, and Dwayne Johnson. For the latter, in particular, this was an exciting experience. "Made my historic rap debut (thankfully I didn't suck)," Johnson tweeted the day of the song's release. "Huge shout to all the hip hop & music fans for your HYPE reactions that are straight f**king fire."
Speaking to Variety, Johnson and Tech N9ne discussed how the collaboration happened — and it all started with a DM. "The biggest star in the world said something back to me! You know what I'm sayin," the rapper said. Johnson admitted that many of his rapper friends tried to get him to rap, but he kept turning them down because "it just has to feel right."
Things changed when it came to Tech N9ne, though. "We're aligned, just in terms of our work ethic and desire," Johnson continued. The actor also revealed that he wrote the verse by himself and recorded it in one take. "I was drinking Teremana, so I had already been a bit lit and was ready to go," he joked. "We sent it to Tech and his engineers and the text I got back from Tech, in all capital letters, was 'F**k yes!!!!'" As one fan pointed out, Johnson did feature on rapper Wyclef Jean's "It Doesn't Matter" in 2014. However, this is the first time the actor rapped a whole verse.