From mysterious footballer-turned-rapper Dide, to the likes of Moise Kean and Memphis Depay dropping albums, it isnt unusual to see players taking on the music industry in this day and age.
But that wasnt always the case. Indeed, for a long time, the only name that immediately sprang to mind when you said the words footballer and rapper was John Barnes, thanks to the former Liverpool and England wingers iconic bars on New Orders 1986 World Cup banger World in Motion.
'I was never asked to be on another rap song' - John Barnes on why his music career ended with 'World in Motion'
No, that never happened, he tells FourFourTwo on behalf of Video Gamer. These days you would be asked but, back then, it wasn't like that at all. Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle did a song together, Gazza did a song, even Pele did a song. But those were pop songs especially written for those guys.
There wasnt a proper crossover between established music artists and footballers back then. We werent truly celebrities back in my day. Not like today, when you see Premier League footballers hanging out with rappers, Formula 1 drivers and movie stars and all the rest of it.
We didnt do that at all, he continues. We werent hanging out with pop stars. There wasnt this idea of, Hey, were all from different walks of life but were all celebrities together.
As good as it got for us was being invited, along with the rest of the Liverpool players, to a Rod Stewart concert or, in my Watford days, Elton John playing some songs for us.
Which was amazing by the way, but not a collaboration. We just didnt have that harmony between footballers and singers like there is now. I was too old by the time that all started.
Failure to recruit Barnes more often is British raps loss, in FFTs humble opinion, given how many tunes his dulcet tones would have undoubtedly improved. When asked to name any legendary rap tunes hes loved to have been a part of, Barnes doesnt hesitate.
Easy, Sugarhill Gangs Rappers Delight, he grins. I do like Dr Dre and Ice Cube as well, but there's too much swearing in their songs. I also love Grandmaster Flash.
Im from that late-70s, early-80s era, so I love the old stuff like Sugarhill Gangs Rappers Delight and Grandmaster Flashs The Message. I like those kinds of raps.
The New Order song, as much as it was a brilliant tune and a lot of fun to be a part of, you could say it wasnt a real rap. Because it was a rap section added onto a New Order song, a pop song. If I had it my way these days, I'd be doing more Ludacris or something like that.
Somebody offer this man a record deal, for the love of god.
