Mike Tyson Follows Up His Canibus Cameo 17 Years Later, Rockin’ With…Madonna

Back in 1998, Mike Tyson set the stage for an emerging MC’s debut album when he lathered up “Second Round K.O.” for Canibus’ self-titled Universal Records debut. Seventeen years later, Iron Mike steps into the recording booth alongside Madonna, and another emerging MC, Chance The Rapper.

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This month it was confirmed that the multi-time Heavyweight Champion of the World will appear on Madonna’s 13th album, Rebel Heart, planned for March 10, 2015 release. Appearing on the song “Iconic” with the Pop superstar and Chicago, Illinois MC, Mike Tyson spoke about the leaked song (care of a demo version) with Rolling Stone:

“[When] Madonna calls you and tells you to come somewhere, you go,” Tyson told RS‘ Jason Newman. “I didn’t know what the hell I was going there for. I’m just there having a good time and hanging out with Madonna. She has her producer there and I go into the studio and I didn’t know if she wanted me to talk or rap. I just go in there and start talking. I’m talking about my life and things that I have endured. I’m saying some really crazy stuff. It was really intense.”

Further in the interview, Tyson admits that some of the aforementioned “crazy stuff” may be due to the fact that he aimed to channel World War II Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. “I know people may say ‘this guy’s a fascist’ and all this stuff, but man, you can take positivity from watching him,” explained the retired boxer, who says he first met Madonna 27 years ago, in 1988—when he was with now ex-wife Robin Givens, and she was with now ex-husband Sean Penn. As a double-date, the quartet allegedly saw an early screening of Big Top Pee-Wee at the time.

In 2015, it’s music that brings two ’80s icons together. Priding himself that he recorded his yet-unreleased musings in one studio take, Tyson looks at the horizons to a career in music. “Doing [‘Iconic’] with Madonna makes me think this [music career] could really happen.”

In recent years, Tyson has had a one-man Broadway show, a documentary film, an animated Adult Swim series, and a recurring role in The Hangover franchise. For the second Hangover soundtrack, Tyson submitted a cover of Murray Head’s “One Night In Bangkok.”

Read the full Mike Tyson news feature in Rolling Stone.

Related: It’s Official. Iron Mike Tyson is a Super Hero Courtesy of Adult Swim (Video)