John Cena

It would be easy to dismiss John Cena as a cross-marketing gimmick -- after all, he got his start body slamming opponents in the wrestling ring as a WWE champion -- but the self-proclaimed "Doctor of Thuganomics" has talent to match his towering muscles, and is perhaps the most technically adept rapper/athlete. The former college football star has been a fan of hip-hop since listening to the Fat Boys in 1985. This old-school pedigree is obvious on his 2005 major label debut, You Can't See Me . His flow is fluid and flexible, rarely straying off beat as he delivers the kind of clever punchline raps that are treasured in underground circles. Humble slice-of-life vignettes such as "Just Another Day" echo the singer's blue-collar, rural Massachusetts background, while "Flow Easy" props good-natured braggadocio against underground DIY platitudes for lyrics that are easily digestible if not entirely unique. And instead of simply slapping the latest R&B sensation on a hook, Cena has enlisted some of the biggest names in underground hip hop, including Murs and Eligh from the Living Legends and NYC legend Freddie Foxx. What could’ve easily turned out to be another novelty career instead has a surprisingly legitimacy.