John Cena WWE Entrance Theme Producer Reveals How Much He Was Paid
The man who created the beats for John Cena’s iconic WWE theme song revealed that he has never met the wrestling legend.
When John Cena won the first of his 17 WWE World Championships at WrestleMania 21 in 2005, it was right before his first and only CD was released in May of that year.
That CD was called “The Time Is Now” and it was so big that it actually went platinum. John Cena made music videos for some of the songs on the CD and used “Basic Thuganomics” as an entrance song. However, “The Time Is Now” is the song Cena has used since March 2005, and it’s what WWE fans have heard many times over the last 20 years.
While talking to ESPN in a story about Cena’s music history, music producer Jake One (real name Jacob Dutton) admitted he had no idea who John Cena was when the WWE superstar reached out to him.
“I had absolutely no idea who John Cena was. My manager was playing my beats for everyone, and Cena happened to get a hold of one of my beat CDs. My manager called me and said this dude from the WWE wants to use three of my beats. I didn’t take him seriously because a pro wrestler wanting beats from me to rap over just sounded so ridiculous.
It was noted in the article that Jake One was paid $30,000 for three beats.
“He paid me with a personal check, and the deal with WWE is that you aren’t entitled to royalties. I had just graduated college and needed the money. It just so happened that one of the songs he made ended up being a cultural phenomenon.”
John Cena’s WWE Theme Song Will Never Go Away
Jake One would go on to talk about how he still hears John Cena’s theme song all the time.
“It’s just one of those things that refuses to go away. I may have songs that have gone platinum or have been streamed more, but, in popular culture, nothing comes close to ‘The Time is Now.’ I hear it everywhere, and that’s the coolest thing.”
It was also revealed by Jake that he has never actually met John Cena.
“I have never met John Cena in person, and I haven’t talked to him since he bought the beat. That’s okay, but I would like WWE to get me a plaque or something because that song has to be platinum by now.”
John Cena’s one and only CD did actually go platinum. The fact that Cena’s only CD went platinum showed not just how good a CD it was, but how popular he was. Many people were also surprised that Cena never did another CD, considering how successful the first one was.
As for his WWE career, John Cena has two matches left, with the next one coming at Survivor Series on November 29th when he defends the Intercontinental Title against the former champon, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio. Here’s the lineup.
- Men’s WarGames Match: CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso & Roman Reigns vs. Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre & Brock Lesnar
- Women’s WarGames Match: Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair & AJ Lee vs. Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka, Karii Sane & Becky Lynch
- Intercontinental Championship: John Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio
- Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Nikki Bella
You can watch WWE Survivor Series: WarGames on Nov. 29 streaming live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the ESPN App in the United States and on Netflix everywhere else.
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