Key Takeaways
Denzel Washington raps Nas’ “Represent” lyrics in a key scene from Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest.
In a new “Jimmy Kimmel Live” interview, the actor also revealed the Illmatic rapper is one of his all-time favorites.
Denzel considers Nas a “wordsmith” and has an appreciation for his fellow New Yorker’s storytelling.
Denzel Washington is so immensely talented that audiences have no idea when he is going off-script. In his new film Highest 2 Lowest, he leans into his love of Hip Hop to deliver a scene alongside A$AP Rocky that is dripping with New York swag, but only some of the dialogue was written in the screenplay by Alan Fox.
The Academy Award winner hails from Mount Vernon, and his love for storytelling dates back to before he ever graced the silver screen. While promoting the new flick on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Wednesday (Sept. 3), Washington previewed a snippet of a scene with him and Rocky in a studio.
In the scene, Washington sits at a mixing console and delivers a gritty rap verse: “I’m the brutalizer, buddha-sizer, accelerator/ I ain’t the type of n**ga who be pissing in your elevator, but sometimes the rap game reminds me of the crack game/ I used to sport Bally’s and Cazals with black frames, but now I’m into new chicks, TECs, and Beck’s.”
The veteran actor portrays David King, a music mogul with the “best ears in the industry,” and the real-life Harlem emcee plays Young Felon, an aspiring rapper who goes to great lengths to get King’s attention. Washington said to Kimmel and the audience, who reacted to the preview with applause, “Full disclosure, everything I said there, I stole from a rapper named Nas. From a song called ‘Represent.’”
Though he also took the liberty to put his own flair on Nas’ bars too, namely converging the lines about Cazals and TECs into one lyrical flex. The homage to the Illmatic lyricist is a genuine nod from one New Yorker to another. “Nas is one of my favorites of all time because I talk a lot. So, he’s a wordsmith,” said Washington.
Denzel’s iconic Training Day line and Nas homage were improvised
When asked if Nas’ song was ad-libbed into Highest 2 Lowest, the revered screen gem remarked, “Was King Kong ain’t got [s**t] on me? Nah, that’s what I do.”
In the gritty L.A. cop flick, Washington’s character, dirty narcotics officer Alonzo Harris, gets exposed for his underhanded dealings. In an unforgettable scene, his back against the figurative wall, he ferociously yells, “I’m the man up in this beast… King Kong ain’t got s**t on me!”
Director Antoine Fuqua revealed the emotionally charged line was improvised in a 2018 interview on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “It just came out of him… He gets so into the zone. He’s in the moment, and he did it… It was so powerful,” he explained.
From quoting Nas in Highest 2 Lowest to ad-libbing one of cinema’s most iconic lines, Washington continues to remind us why he will forever be a movie legend!
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