Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has conquered the field workplace, the wrestling ring, TV scores and tequila gross sales — now, is he about to dominate the charts?
In a history-making profession transfer, Johnson is making his rap debut, featured on Tech N9ne’s new single, “Face Off.”
Chatting with Selection in an unique interview, Johnson says, “I really like music. Anytime in my films once I can implement some musical components, I all the time love doing that.”
“Face Off,” the brand new single on Tech N9ne’s new album, “ASIN9NE” from Unusual Music, additionally options Joey Cool and King Iso. The observe marks a collaboration between essentially the most profitable unbiased rapper in hip hop and the largest A-list actor in Hollywood.
Johnson has been courted by his well-known mates within the hip hop group for many years, however when Tech N9ne DM’d him on Instagram, he knew this was lastly the precise match.
“The largest star on this planet stated one thing again to me! You understand what I’m sayin? I’m hyped. We’re all hyped!” Tech N9ne raves on a current telephone name with Selection from his tour bus.
Tech N9ne and Johnson truly met a couple of years in the past. An enormous fan of the unbiased rapper, Johnson, who’s essentially the most adopted American on the planet, on has been sharing Tech N9ne’s music on his social media for years. After a social media friendship, the 2 met in-person on the set of HBO’s “Ballers,” means earlier than the pandemic.
“A whole lot of my mates who’re hip hop artists — like massive names — I’ve been requested a couple of occasions. But it surely simply has to really feel proper,” Johnson says, noting that he appeared on his buddy Wyclef Jean’s 2000 track, “It Doesn’t Matter,” shouting his titular catchphrase, however not rapping.
“When Tech texted me, I knew I’d make this work. We’re aligned, simply by way of our work ethic and want. When Tech and I first met years in the past on the set of ‘Ballers,’ we had been speaking about this concept about being the toughest employee within the room. He stated one thing that I actually appreciated: principally, ‘There may by no means be sufficient meals on this room or on this set that would make me full as a result of I all the time wish to be hungry.’ I simply love that.”
That sense of labor ethic is the message of “Face Off.” Dwayne’s verse — which he wrote himself — consists of the lyrics, “It’s about drive. It’s about energy. We keep hungry.”
Tech N9ne knew he wished a fighter to be featured on the observe as a result of he envisioned the track as a hype-up anthem that may be performed in stadiums or on the fitness center. “That is an power track. That is going to get folks pumped as much as elevate weights, pumped up for fights, pumped up for the sport. Interval,” he says. “And what higher particular person? Not Conor McGregor. I don’t know him. I do know The Rock.”
When Tech N9ne first reached out to Johnson, the concept wasn’t for him to really rap. Tech N9ne’s preliminary ask was simply to have Johnson recite spoken phrases to shut out the track. However Johnson had a much bigger imaginative and prescient.
“I stated, ‘I simply need you to speak some actual motivational stuff at finish,’” Tech N9ne shares. “We bought on the telephone and structured it. He’s so proficient, man. To have the ability to get on a track with grasp MCs and be a grasp MC himself? Dwayne did his factor. He stated he wished to go quick like us. After what he did on ‘Moana,’ I may see he had the rhythm.”
The rapper is referring to the hit Disney movie, which sure, showcased Johnson’s musical abilities. The highest-selling soundtrack has made its means into thousands and thousands of households’ properties, however “Face Off” brings Johnson into a brand new style.
After Johnson wrote his verse and structured it with Tech N9ne, he went into the studio together with his spouse, Lauren Hashian, and recorded in the course of the pandemic.
“One take,” Johnson says. “I used to be ingesting Teremana, so I had already been a bit lit and was able to go. We despatched it to Tech and his engineers and the textual content I bought again from Tech, in all capital letters, was ‘Fuck sure!!!!’”
The rapper jokes that he’s not fairly certain how Johnson, at 6’5 and over 250 kilos, even match within the recording sales space. “He’s much more massive than once I first met him on ‘Ballers’ as a result of he’s in his ‘Black Adam’ construct. Have you ever seen him? Look how massive he’s in our video. Look how lower he’s! He wasn’t that lower two years in the past.”
Now that Johnson has made his rap debut, is a music profession in his future?
“I by no means had the ambition to be a hip hop artist or a rapper, so the direct reply isn’t any,” Johnson tells Selection. “However I did see a possibility right here to create a track that basically impressed and motivated me to push for extra and struggle for extra. I’ve all the time liked music. I really like hip hop and blues and outlaw nation music.”
However by no means say by no means. If Johnson has proved something through the years via his assorted profession, it’s that if he places his thoughts to one thing, it often turns into gold.
“If the track is correct and if the collaboration feels actual and genuine, I’d love that,” Johnson says. “I’d like to do a repeat with Tech N9ne and Unusual Music. If I had the chance to collaborate with one other artist on the market — hip hop artists, blues artists, outlaw nation artists — then let’s speak and let’s determine it out. If I may rap about the precise phrases that really feel actual and genuine to me, then I’ll be pleased to interrupt out that Teremana, take a couple of massive swigs and bounce again into the studio.”
Johnson provides, “The issues that get my consideration nowadays and get me away from bed should be the issues that I completely love and am completely enthusiastic about. Lately, the cash will not be crucial factor. The celebrity, no. That’s not the essential factor. Truthfully, it simply comes right down to ardour, having enjoyable — and are folks going to get pleasure from it? That’s it. That’s the underside line.”
If Johnson ever does resolve to tackle the rap world, Tech N9ne says he may take some credit score for giving him his massive break.
“He has greater issues to do. I’m simply so blessed that he would wish to do that with me,” Tech N9ne says, earlier than including, “However I believe he’s going to be the president, so I don’t know.”
Watch the music video for “Face Off” right here:
