NEW YORK —World Wrestling Entertainment® champion John Cena has come a long way from the beatings he used to take in junior high school for his love of hip-hop. Columbia Records gives the wrestler props with YOU CAN’T SEE ME his debut album available in stores May 10.

Recorded in 2004 at Chaos and Order Basscamp Studios during Cena’s rare breaks from the ring YOU CAN’T SEE ME features 17 original tracks. Paying tribute to the classic two-man rhyming crews of the past Cena and Tha Trademarc (Marc Predka) nimbly trade verses throughout the album. “You almost never hear a rap crew today working like EPMD or 3rd Bass ” says Cena. “I wanted to bring that style back a little and get away from one MC up there doing his thing. Working this way let us attack a song from different directions and create a more dynamic flow.”

The album’s first single “Bad Bad Man ” is backed by Chaos’ insistent beat and respected rap legend Freddie Foxx (aka Bumpy Knuckles) who created the song’s chest-pounding chorus.  The new video for “Bad Bad Man” is a parody of the old A-Team show featuring modern special effects stars: John Cena as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith Bumpy Knuckles as Sgt. Bosco Albert "B.A." Baracus Tha Trademarc as Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock also a cameo with Different Strokes star Gary Coleman.

With “Beantown ” Cena combines a bluesy guitar riff and funky backbeat to fuel a tribute to his Boston roots. Giving shout outs to everything from Fenway Park’s “Green Monster” and the Tobin Bridge to Carl Yastrzemski’s bushy sideburns (circa 1973) and the Boston Tea Party Cena paints a vivid picture of the place he still calls home. “Yo we fresh y’all a little bit stale and we about to make it ugly like Kevin McHale.”

The tables have turned these days and Cena is the one administering the smackdowns but as he prepares to release his debut YOU CAN’T SEE ME he’s still fighting against those old perceptions. “I know what I’m up against. I know people are going to dismiss me as a hip-hop artist out of hand because they think there is no way a white wrestler could rap ” he says. “I busted my ass for three years writing songs and improving my skills to prove those people wrong. Whether you love or hate this record I don’t think you can deny its authenticity.”

– The following dates are confirmed and additional dates are to be announced –

May 9  
         

7:00 PM WWE SmackDown! Live Event – Newark DE         

Bob Carpenter Center @ U. of Delaware

12:00 AM – Midnight Autograph Session                                      
Best Buy
2201 Farrand Drive
Wilmington DE

May 10

7:30 PM – WWE SmackDown! – Reading PA
Sovereign Center

7:00 PM- Autograph Session – Boston MA
Boston Virgin Megastore
360 Newbury Street
Boston MA 02115

May 12

7:00 PM- Autograph Session – New York
f.Y.E.
1290 Ave. of the Americas
New York NY

May 14

7:30 PM – WWE SmackDown! Live Event – San Francisco
Cow Palace

May 15

5:00 PM – WWE SmackDown! Live Event – Redding CA
Redding Convention Center

May 17

7:30 PM – WWE SmackDown! – Sioux City IA
Tyson Events Center

May 18

4:00 PM – Autograph Session – Fort Hood TX
Fort Hood Military Base
Clear Creek PX
Fort Hood TX

May 19

Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Los Angeles CA

May 20

6:00 PM – Autograph Session – Tampa FL
Best Buy
1725 Dale Mabry
Tampa FL

May 21

2:00 PM – Autograph Session – Bloomington MN
Mall of America
Sear’s Court
Bloomington MN

May 22

6:45 PM – WWE Judgment Day Pay-Per-View
Target Center
Minneapolis MN

May 27

6:00 PM – Autograph Session – Toronto Canada
HMV
333 Yonge Street
Toronto Canada

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For more information and materials please contact Neil Lawi World Wrestling Entertainment 203.352.1010 or neil.lawi@wwecorp.com.