As most fans know, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson started out as a WWE wrestler, but he is now one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, thanks to a slew of leading roles in big-budget movies. 2021 was yet another big year for Johnson, as he starred in the Disney adventure comedy Jungle Cruise, as well as the Netflix action flick, Red Notice.
The same year, Johnson also showed off his rapping chops by getting featured on Tech N9ne’s power anthem, "Face Off." However, this isn’t the actor’s first tryst with music. From appearing on a Wyclef Jean track to singing a ukulele rendition of "What A Wonderful World" for Journey 2: The Mystery Island, “The Rock” has shown his musical side on more than one occasion. The biggest highlight of his singing persona will, of course, be his turn as Maui in the Disney animated fantasy Moana, in which he sang the successful single, "You’re Welcome."
Pie
A callback to Johnson's early pro-wrestling days, "Pie" plays on his "Rock" persona and finds him delivering some smooth rap lines along with Slick Rick. The song was a part of WWF: The Music Vol 5 (on the cover of which the wrestler appears holding a literal pie). Pie's narrative kicks off from Johnson introducing himself as "the most electrifying man in show business," but as his stardom seems to pressurize him at times, he just wishes to kick back and have a slice of pie.
The humorous track displays early hints of Johnson's rapping skills while featuring Slick Rick's typical storytelling rap, along with a choir of gospel singers. Despite it being a nostalgic callback to WWE wrestlers (back when it was called WWF) and their antics, a few parts haven't aged well, particularly those that hearken back to how wrestler-turned-actors like Johnson and John Cena have mocked Chinese accents in WWE episodes of the past. So, it is because of such dated (and racist) elements that "Pie" ranks lower than Johnson's other songs.
It Doesn't Matter
Back in 2000, Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean featured Johnson on his track "It Doesn't Matter," which also featured the vocal talents of hip-hop duo Melky Sedeck. More than rapping or singing, Johnson just shouts as "The Rock" throughout the track, but this is what makes the song all the more iconic. In fact, the song's title itself comes from one of his famous catchphrases, "It doesn't matter what you think." Johnson opens the first verse with another popular catchphrase as he says, "You're 'bout to smell what the Rock is cookin.'"
While there are plenty of instances of rappers who turned to acting, Wyclef Jean has quite an extensive list of acting credits to his name. And just like most of his discography, "It Doesn't Matter" also has a social message and serves as a commentary on materialism, with Jean saying that his fame and fortune might not matter in the end. The featured wrestler takes this theme a notch higher in the outro. As Jean talks about the records that he has sold and the Grammys that he has won, Johnson just shuts him up by shouting "It doesn't matter."
Face Off
As a chopper rapper, Tech N9ne has proven his prowess with his fast-paced, razor-sharp delivery. He is no stranger to collaborations, having joined forces with high-profile rappers like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar in the past. But "Face Off" turned out to be an unexpected collaboration, as this time he got Dwayne Johnson for a verse that grew viral in no time. While the song features some memorable parts from Tech N9ne and his label Strange Music's signees King Iso and Joey Cool, Johnson appears towards the end to deliver a verse that doubles as a motivational speech of sorts.
The lines "It's about drive, it's about power, we stay hungry, we devour" have become extremely popular on social media, thanks to the verse's immense popularity on TikTok and the various memes it spawned. In a matter of a few seconds, Johnson touches upon his wrestler persona, Samoan heritage, along with lines that make "Face Off" a perfect banger for the gym. In fact, he can also be seen working out in a gym in the music video, as he closes his verse by claiming that it was recorded in "one take." From a musical point of view, audiences were polarized on the quality of his lyrics and delivery, but one can't deny that the song illustrates his ever-growing stardom. Apart from Dwayne Johnson's big-budget movie franchises, his ventures into the sports business, Fortnite, and even rapping has proven that he is truly a multimedia star.
What A Wonderful World
In Journey 2: The Mystery Island, the Hollywood star gets to show his "gentle giant" side as he picks up a ukulele and breaks into a heartwarming cover of Louis Armstrong's classic "What A Wonderful World." He starts off with Armstrong's first verse while improvising with his own observations on the island that he is trapped on. His character, Hank Parsons, tries to bond with his stepson Sean throughout the movie's titular journey and the musical scene turns out to be an important moment for Sean to start opening up to him.
Even though the song has been covered multiple times, Dwayne Johnson's version stands out for its naive charm and randomly funny lyrics. Included in the movie's official soundtrack, the song closes with Johnson remarking, "It takes a big man to play a little guitar."
You're Welcome
Dwayne Johnson's most popular and arguably most melodious song might be Moana's "You're Welcome." In the musical adventure movie, the titular protagonist searches for a mischievous demigod called Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson. Maui makes his presence felt right from his first scene as he sings "You're Welcome," a narcissistic story of his mystical adventures so far. The song's title alludes to the gratitude that Maui believes people owe him for blessing them with fire, coconuts, and many other gifts of nature.
Johnson's demigod avatar is definitely musically-gifted, as he merrily sings and raps the self-styled praises written by Hamilton creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. The latter's upbeat music perfectly goes with Maui's joyful, self-confident personality, and the Moana song helped Johnson secure his first-ever spot on the Billboard Top 100, debuting at no. 83.