n8itude

For some reason The Nature Boy & his swagger have crossed paths with Hip Hop. It’s not really a surprise since Hip Hop & Wrestling pretty much became household & mainstream American exports at the same time from the late 70s and 80s ‘rebel hobby/guilty pleasure’ notoriety to the 90s BOOM and the 2000s+ Hollyweird embrace.

As a 70s baby, 80s kid, 90s teen .etc .. I also grew up with both. I’ve seen them both grow and am happily entrenched in both pop cultures. Ric Flair is essentially the personification of Big Willie Style Hip Hop. He emits braggadocio 24/7. He’s Lil Wayne, Hova and Kanye in one mountainous ego trip. So naturally Em Cees have gravitated towards the lead driver of Space Mountain. Ironically it seems the Hip Hop population now wants to BE THE MAN.  

I’m so witty.

In the past 4 or so years Flair’s persona has not just spread into slick one-liners and metaphors in songs, but into full fledged anthems, tributes and yes … a dance style.

Screw ‘The Dougie’ what has Doug Furnas done for you lately? It’s time (not THAT time) to Do the Ric Flair!

Let me start off with the track that inspired this post. Killer Mike’s Ric Flair.

@arda_ocal sent a Tweet highlighting the Outkast affiliated rap beast’s ode to the Nature Boy, complete with relevant (to the song) samples and a killer beat.

Which lead me to reply to him another tribute/sampled drum kick heavy track by Ruste Juxx with the subtly changed title Vic Flair. I used this song in a few mixes, because the beat is insanely banging as well as it being laced with Flair’s signature WOOOOOOOOO!

Now the power of Youtube’s suggestions highlights other Flair/Rap mashups taht I barely remember and are completely new to me.

Corey Mac, I never heard of him either, has a complete tribute to Flair. The song is aiight, but the genius is not in the song nor the official video, it’s actually in the user created video by electrodinobot who mashed up Corey’s Flair song to Flair clips. 

I’m still laughing, the song + the chosen clips are bonafide comedy gold.

Doing the Ric Flair has actually been possible for a while now, as it became a some kind of southern dance craze (essentially you just do the strut all us wrestling nerds have been doing since the first time we saw Flair on TV). 

Lil Cali & Young Dro  introduced the BET 106 ‘n’ Park tweeny boppers the 16x World Champion’s strut and a craze was berthed.

Honestly, that song is horrible. But I’m biased, I hate ALLLLLLLL of that Southern dance crap Dr. Suess Mother Goose cornball rap. But one thing bee-yoo-tiful did come from that, the aforementioned 106 ‘n’ park princess Rocsi doing the Ric Flair.

Insert Space Mountain joke there. 

I could watch that all day… although on the dance craze battle I give the nod to Kate Upton & the Dougie.

But I do admit neither Rocsi, Kate or anyone mentioned above will ever ever e-e-e-e-ever out-Flair The Nature Boy.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!