Bruce Willis Couldn't Stand This Popular Music Genre
The Die Hard star made his musical preferences crystal clear during a revealing interview, showing just how much he despised one particular style that dominated the airwaves.
When Hollywood stars venture into music, the results can range from surprisingly decent to downright cringe-worthy. But few celebrity musical experiments were as odd as Bruce Willis dropping two full albums through Motown Records. The whole thing started with his alter ego Bruno Radolini, featured in an HBO fake documentary called The Return of Bruno.
Despite lukewarm reviews, his debut album somehow went gold in America, featuring backup from legendary artists like Booker T Jones, the Temptations, and the Pointer Sisters. Willis followed up with a second Motown release in 1989 titled If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger, then called it quits on his recording career for good.
When Movies Mirror Real Life
Willis's musical tastes became pretty obvious through his work, and there was one genre he absolutely couldn't tolerate. In the action flick The Last Boy Scout, his character Joe Hallenbeck gets captured by bad guys who threaten to torture him. When they promise to make him scream, he suggests they just "play some rap music" instead – implying that would be torture enough.
That throwaway movie line turned out to be surprisingly accurate to Willis's real feelings about hip-hop music.
A Brutally Honest Interview
The truth about Willis's music preferences came out in a book called Naked Under Our Clothes, written by the former hosts of Yo! MTV Raps. Ed Lover and Doctor Dré (not the famous producer) shared stories about celebrities they encountered during their time hosting the popular show.
Ed Lover recalled working with Willis on a Planet Hollywood promotional event in the early 1990s. He'd heard rumors that the actor didn't want to work with him specifically because of his connection to the rap music show. During their interview, Lover decided to address the elephant in the room directly.
"I said, 'I heard you hate rap music'," Lover remembered. Willis didn't try to sugarcoat his response: "Yeah, I can't stand it."
Not one to back down, Lover fired back with his own honest opinion: "Well, I hate that harmonica bullshit you be playing, too. So now we understand each other, so let's get the interview going on." According to Lover, Willis respected the direct approach and they got along fine after that exchange.
Given that this conversation happened during rap music's early mainstream years, it's possible Willis eventually warmed up to the genre. But considering how strongly he expressed his dislike – saying he "couldn't stand it" – that seems pretty unlikely.