Move over, Offset and Ric Flair. Bad Bunny and Booker T have become the bar for wrestling and music crossovers in 2021!
In case you missed it, WWE announced a few hours ago that Latin Grammy Award-winning rapper Bad Bunny will be performing his brand new single, "Booker T," at the Royal Rumble event this Monday (Manila time). I'm honestly surprised that the Bad Bunny live performance happened this quickly, since "Booker T" only dropped three weeks ago.
The Puerto Rican superstar released the single through a music video that features the six-time (six-time, six-time, six-time, six-time, six-time) World Champion dressed in his G.I. Bro gear looking like an absolute badass as he stands stone-faced through most of the song. Towards the end, though, Booker T breaks character and starts vibing and dancing with Bad Bunny, completely owning this aural tribute from one of the most influential Latino artists in music today.
Bad Bunny doesn't stray from the Latin trap that he's most known for in this track, but he's not here to mess around, bust a move, or get a girl to fall in love. "Booker T" is a flex through and through, with Bad Bunny mincing no words about how he's at the top of his game and how he feels nobody can touch him. He talks about the longevity of his music and how his haters have nothing on him while boasting about his success at both the award shows and on the internet.
If you compare it to its spiritual successor, Offset and Metro Boomin's "Ric Flair Drip," then it comes across as more aggressive and in-your-face, compared to how cool and slick the Nature Boy's tribute anthem is. What "Booker T" has over "Ric Flair Drip" is how listening to this song makes me want to be a douchebro and get in a fight, which the Offset and Metro Boomin joint just doesn't do. On top of that, the quick sample featuring the hook of Booker T's iconic entrance theme was the perfect easter egg for fans like us who love these crossovers!
Interestingly, Ric Flair has also starred in a Bad Bunny music video! About three months before "Ric Flair Drip" dropped, Naitch starred in the music video for Bad Bunny's 2017 single "Chambea," in which the 16-time World Champion cut a promo before strutting with Bad Bunny himself. The Dirtiest Player in the Game is even on the cover art of "Chambea!"
It gets better! Bad Bunny's 2018 single "¿Quién Tu Eres?" features Stone Cold Steve Austin in its music video as the rapper's backup muscle in a desert fight, after which, they kick back a couple of brewskis in a way only Stone Cold knows how. And of course, Bad Bunny takes a Stunner afterward. Fucking amazing.
The way Bad Bunny collaborates with these legends and incorporates them into his music shows just how big of an influence pro wrestling has in the world of music, particularly in hip-hop. What a time to be alive. Man, I can't wait for the Royal Rumble event.
Header image from Billboard, screenshots from the music video for "Booker T"
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Stan Sy (@_StanSy) is the Editor at Large of Smark Henry and is also a radio DJ on Wave 89.1, an events host, a freelance writer, and the host of On Deck, as well as one of the hosts of The Wrestling-Wrestling Podcast. He also used to be one of the hosts and writers of The Wrestling Gods on FOX. He enjoys watching WWE, AEW, and the occasional New Japan match.
