John Cena marked the 20th anniversary of his debut studio album, *You Can’t See Me* by reflecting on his unexpected transition from professional wrestler too recording artist. The album, which was released in 2005, achieved Platinum certification, a rarity for musical projects spearheaded by athletes or wrestling personalities. Despite the commercial success of the record, Cena never released a follow-up LP, a fact he discussed candidly in a new interview wiht Tom Rinaldi.
In a clip released by *Billboard* to promote the full interview, which premieres tonight following *WWE Raw*, Cena joked about his unique standing in the music industry.
“Only platinum artists never have a follow up. Is that, right?” Cena asked.
When pressed on why a second album never materialized despite the accolades, Cena attributed the decision to his age and the specific energy required for the genre.
“It is indeed a young man game, and I’m not in it anymore,” Cena stated.
Cena described the genesis of his rap career as unintentional, stemming from his dissatisfaction with the stock music originally assigned to him by WWE production. During his rise in the early 2000s, Cena adopted the persona of the “Dr. of Thuganomics,” a character heavily influenced by hip-hop culture who would rap insults at opponents before matches.
“The rapping thing was an accident,” Cena explained. “I listened to the music they played for me. I’m like, Man, I could do better than this. Wait, I could do better than this.”
He noted that the recording process was far more labor-intensive two decades ago compared to modern standards. Cena detailed how he leveraged personal connections to get studio time rather than using accessible digital tools available today.
“This wasn’t now where we have the technology of like, you can mix on your iPhone,” Cena said. “I had to go to a studio instead of like, I think my cousin knows a guy might be able to know a guy. And then we recorded Basic Thuganomics for like, 10 grand”.
Cena presented the finished product to WWE management, who approved it for use. “Handed it to WWE like, you just play this like, this is you? Yeah, sure, no problem,” Cena recalled.
The “Lost Tracks”
While *You Can’t See Me* features 17 tracks, including the hit anthem “The Time is Now,” Cena revealed that the recording sessions produced a important amount of unreleased material. He estimated that dozens of songs were recorded but ultimately cut from the final project.
“There’s like 70 lost tracks of the album that never made it out,” Cena disclosed.
When asked if the existence of such a large vault of unreleased music “begs a follow-up,” Cena rejected the idea. He insisted that the editing process ensured that only the highest quality material reached the public,implying that the unreleased songs do not meet the standard for a new release.
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