Jacquees Recreates Iconic Muhammad Ali Photos To Help Hype Forthcoming Record

BY Erika Marie 2.8K Views
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Jacquees
The singer is channeling the boxing champ.

Round 2 is upon us and Jacquees is making sure the world knows that for his sophomore effort, he's channeling The Greatest. Jacquees released his debut record 4275 in 2018 and throughout 2019 the self-proclaimed King of R&B has been teasing fans with new music. Earlier this week, the Cash Money artist revealed the tracklist to his forthcoming record. Following that news, Jacquees shared photos of himself replicating two iconic Cassius Clay images.

In the first, the singer was photographed underwater wearing white boxing shorts while holding a microphone. This image is inspired by the 1961 photograph of Ali that was captured by Flip Schulke for Life magazine. In Ali's picture, the champion athlete is too underwater, except he poses in a boxing stance. In Jacquees's second image, he's pictured sitting on a large stack of money inside of a bank's vault. That Ali photograph was snapped in 1964 by a man named Howard Bingham who was a good friend of the boxer. 

Jacquees captioned his Instagram photos by writing, "Float like a butterfly 🦋 sting like a Bee 🐝 - Muhammad Ali Miami 1961 Miami 2019" and "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. - Muhammad Ali 1964 2019," respectively. We're guessing that the singer is expecting a TKO with Round 2, but we'll all have to wait and see. The record hits the streets on July 19.

About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.