You Can't See Me [PA] * by John Cena

Over the past few years, professional wrestlers have been branching out into other fields and proving themselves more multi-dimensional than anyone would have believed. The Rock's making movies, Chris Jericho has a rock band with a strong following, and Mick Foley paved the way for wrestlers to become authors, proving to skeptics that wrestlers can write and wrestling fans can read. But John Cena had an extra hurdle to jump in becoming a successful wrestler/rapper: he had to make the rap gimmick work in the ring.

You see, wrestling has a pretty weak track record when it comes to creating characters that appeal to hip hop fans. K-Kwik, PN News, Men on a Mission - they're all names we'd like to forget. But when Massachusetts native John Cena started rapping on his way to the ring, he helped us forget those past gimmicks by offering something new: realism. He wasn't some cornball rapper in flashy clothes. He was a regular guy who put down his opponents with clever freestyles. Finally, wrestling gave us a rapper we could get behind, and lo and behold, that man is currently the WWE champion.

Now that Cena has conquered the wrestling world, the Doctor of Thuganomics is working on living out his other lifelong dream of becoming a bona fide hip-hop star. This album could have come out much earlier, but Cena decided to take his time and do it right. He didn't want it to be another throwaway wrestling album - he wanted to create a credible piece of music. And that is exactly what he did. While by no means a classic, You Can't See Me is a quality album that has the potential to turn the heads of even non-wrestling fans.

Cena shares mic time on this album with Tha Trademarc and, on a few tracks, Bumpy Knuckles. All three are skilled MCs who consistently deliver clever lyrics. Knuckles' appearances offer a lot of energy to the album, which helps since Cena's style often comes across as tough but laid-back. This helps him create the atmospheres necessary for smoother tracks like the positive-vibed Right Here, pimpin' anthem Runnin' Game, and the addictive This Is How We Roll.

But most of the album is plenty energetic. Cena's ring entrance theme My Time Is Now leads off the album with an infectious horn piece and passionate vocals from the champ (unfortunately we don't get his original theme song Basic Thuganomics). He and his fellow Bay Staters let loose their hometown appreciation on Beantown, a mostly sports-themed love letter to Boston that references not only the current crop of Sox and Pats but also old-timers like Yaz and Kevin McHale. Make It Loud seems a bit goofy, but it makes for a nice party-energizer. Bad, Bad Man stays heavy all the way through, especially in its simple but catchy chorus: "With the mic in my hands I'm a bad man/ Even in a fight with my hands I'm a bad man." Smack dab in the middle of the album are the two sickest tracks: Keep Frontin' and We Didn't Want You To Know. The former has a big, energetic beat and unique lyrical flow while the latter is a slow but badass track with a catchy chorus, partially whispered to create added coolness.

You Can't See Me is packed with excellent rhymes - some funny, some just plain awesome. One of my favorite sets comes from Flow Easy: "Curse a fool like the Red Sox/ We tighter than headlocks/ I'm flowin easy with Freddie Foxxx/ Known to hang it low like dreadlocks/ And y'all are too slow like wearing a weight vest and lead socks." One of the most interesting tracks is Just Another Day. At first you might think it's another "whining about stardom" track, as Cena raps about the problems that come with fame, but soon Trademarc raps about the problems of a regular guy with no money. This makes it a song about being thankful for what you have because despite your problems, it could be worse. The third verse is especially enjoyable, as the two trade rhymes, juxtaposing their lifestyles: [Cena] "Face on the X-Box, you played the game lately?" [Trademarc] "Man I can't rent, I owe too much in late fees."

You Can't See Me wastes not a single track: all seventeen are solid hip-hop. Some songs are not all that memorable, but they are not at all skippable. And I'd rather have a few less memorable but decent tracks rather than the idiotic skits that fill so many hip-hop albums. So finally, after years of trying to create a rapper, World Wrestling Entertainment has finally found one. Not only is John Cena a talented and charismatic wrestler, he is a skilled and credible rapper. Aside from the cover and a couple of lyrics, this album has nothing to do with wrestling, so put aside your prejudices and pick up You Can't See Me.