Roy Jones Jr. Writes Rap Song About Getting His Head Bashed In

LAS VEGAS--When Roy Jones Jr. wrote his debut album, Round One, he was at the top of the boxing world. The album contained such memorable tracks as “Who Wanna Get Knocked Out”, “You Don’t Wanna Go There”, and “Y’all Must’ve Forgot.” With his aggressive, in-your-face style, Jones boasted about his boxing prowess and his ability to crush his opponents with ease. Now that he has lost his title to Antonio Tarver, Jones is working on a painfully honest rap song about getting his head bashed in.

“You know, I just like to express myself through my music, man,” said Jones, his left eye swollen shut. “My first album was about all them motherfuckers who I bitch-slapped in the ring. Now I’m rappin about how I got my head bashed in with one punch. I fell down like a sack of dirt, man, and that’s gonna be the theme of my new album, Where Am I?”

The first single from the album, “Lyin’ on Da Mat”, should be available on Jones’s website in early June. The song was written and performed in his unique, hard driving fashion, and contains plenty of memorable passages. In the first verse, Jones recounts the moment of impact: “I be dancin round da ring/ like a bee gettin ready to sting/ then I feel a fist in my face/ like I been sprayed with some mace/ my body be swayin’ dis way and dat/ clear the way, mothafucka, cuz I’m lyin on da mat!”

“That song is just my way of expressing what I was feeling when I got my skull crushed by Taver,” said Jones. “And if you think that’s severe, wait till you hear the second single ‘I Been Xposed’ Check this out: ‘All my life, I been fightin stiffs and fags/ Then I fight a real man and get brained real bad/ Then da blood starts rushin out my mouth and nose/ My career be ova, mothafucka. I been X-posed!’”

Jones has yet to find a record company willing to distribute the new album. Edel America Records, which produced Jones’s first album, has already indicated that it would not be involved in the new one. Nonetheless, Jones is confident it will be on store shelves in the near future.

“This album’s too good to keep to myself. When it’s done, I’ll find someone to release it,” said Jones. “Columbia, Sony, Elektra, Edel—they’d all be lucky to put their names on my record. They’re just being shy cause I lost the title. But that’s OK. I’m not just a fighter. I can rap, too. That’s why my first album went Platinum. Well, not Platinum, exactly, but my mom did buy a copy.”

Executives from Edel records said that although they have been in touch with Jones, they have expressed no interest in distributing and releasing any future albums. Despite what he believes, the former heavyweight champ seems to have lost more than just his title.

“Look, his first album was a piece of shit, but at least he was the champ and had a little clout in the industry,” said Jonathan Frist, president of Edel Records. “It was dirt-cheap to make, sold a few copies, and we just about broke even on it. However, we’re not really in the business of promoting rap albums from boxers who aren’t even champions anymore. How are we gonna promote it? ‘Here’s the new album from the guy who just got beat up by Antonio Tavers?’ Please. I’ll give Roy a little credit, though. He’s the only guy that would write a rap song bragging about getting knocked out.”

Though Edel Records has distanced itself from Roy Jones, Frist has indicated that they may be interested in working with other rapping pugilists in the future.

“We’re certainly not adverse to working with athletes or other boxers,” said Frist. “Actually, we’d love to work with Antonio Tavers. He has that certain something that we look for in our rapping boxers—a title. So if you know how to get in touch with him, tell him to call me. We’d love to record another album featuring a boxer bragging about his fighting ability. Those babies are always hot sellers.”

When reached at his home in Orlando, Tavers revealed that he is, in fact, working on a rap album of his own.

“Of course I’m working on a rap album,” he said. “Rap is the perfect avenue for boxers to express themselves. Since most rapping consists of boasting about one thing or another, and boxers are famous for boasting, it’s a perfect match. I’m thinking of calling my first record 'How I Bashed Roy Jones’s Head In'. What do you think? Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”