Unbeknown to many, ONE strawweight world champion Jarred Brooks has a penchant for creating and producing rap music in his spare time.
Ahead of his crossover bout against ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci at ONE Fight Night 13 in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 5, “The Monkey God” discussed his inspirations and how he integrated the rap ethos into his fighting persona.
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The mixed martial artist was exposed to battle-rapping early in life, back when he lived in Indiana, United States, during the MTV era.
“I would say Kid Rock, Eminem, those guys really pushed me into wanting to be a rapper. Listening to those 1999, 1998 albums that they came out with, that’s what really pushed me into it,” he said.
“Seeing Slim Shady’s hair colour and stuff like that, and [the] stuff that he was saying. It’s just stuff that I never would have realised as a kid. I don’t even blame my parents because it was everywhere [on] MTV. The average viewer was about 10 to 11 years old, right?
“So, I got to get into the hip hop industry at a young age. I was probably saying stuff that I shouldn’t have at that point in time, at that age. But I learned very young how to be a hip hop artist. I really enjoyed it, and I really enjoy it to this day. I still write.”
Brooks has been a colourful figure since joining ONE Championship back in 2021. The 30-year-old has reeled off four wins against the top strawweights on the roster in his promotional run so far. His success culminated in an epic five round world title win over longtime king Joshua Pacio at ONE 164 last December.
Among his dominant run has been a string of memorable press conferences where Brooks has breathed fire at his opponents and grabbed headlines across the globe.
The verbal jabs and showmanship, he says, can once again be traced back to his hip hop roots.
“I would say as far as rap, it was more that you’ve got to put yourself out there. Like Eminem, he was putting himself out there more than he wanted. And he was even calling out guys in the United States Congress. He just really didn’t care,” he said.
“So, that’s what really pushed me into being fearless in whatever I do. And things work and things don’t work. Like if I was an a**hole, and people didn’t like me, that’s another thing. My best character is myself. And I’m a very nice person to meet, to talk to. Hip hop really helped me as a kid [to] grow up and be the person that I am today.”
Now based in Detroit, Michigan, Brooks announced earlier this year that he is set to welcome a daughter into the world in November.
Because of that, the soon-to-be first-time father may now take a step back from his battle-rapping ways, as he looks forward to embracing his new role as a parent.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ll talk sh** when somebody talks sh**, but I’m not going to be that guy that is making me look like a dumbass to my daughter,” he said.
“So, I’m going to make sure that everybody is respecting the sport and respecting both athletes. I’m game, though. I’m game. If anybody wants to team up and do that, let’s go. But like I said, I’m not going to push myself into being the heel anymore.”
Perhaps the perfect foil for the new, nicer Jarred Brooks is his upcoming opponent – Musumeci. “Darth Rigatoni” is famous for his unassuming demeanour and his daily diet of pizza and pasta.
Faced with a well-mannered opponent this time out, it should be much easier for Brooks to keep the urge to slag off his opponent in check. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be mind games at play.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be making a diss track on Mikey Musumeci. I think the best way you beat Mikey Musumeci is if you out-nice Mikey Musumeci. So, I’m going to try to out-nice that guy. They might even get p***ed off at me that I’m being that nice to him,” he said.
“Mikey is such a nice kid. I don’t want ONE Championship to put out that I’m an a**hole or anything like that. I’m selling fights, man. I’m trying to make sure that I get the people’s energy and invest that into my energy in my fight.”
Win, lose, or draw at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on August 5, Brooks still reigns over ONE’s strawweight MMA division. Having already defeated the top three contenders in the rankings, he is eagerly awaiting his next challenger.
But how should a prospective opponent go about standing out from the pack? The Mash Fight Team representative has already laid out the blueprint.
“They just got to say, ‘Hey, let’s fight.’ I want to fight. I want to make money. I’m having a kid here soon. Literally, I have the most confidence in myself than anybody at flyweight or strawweight. So, people just gotta call me out,” he said.
“Go out, find a fight, and call people out. Be vocal. Nobody’s vocal in our whole division except for me, that’s why our division is relying on me. I don’t care if you talk sh** to me. I don’t care if you go out and make yourself look more like an a**. But at the end of the day, it’s going to sell fights, it’s going to make people want to watch us.”
While he insists that he has changed his ways for good, Brooks still couldn’t resist one more spray directed at his divisional rivals who he feels have been fumbling the bag when he comes calling.
“I like to build myself to where it creates a good matchup. It’s just hard to do that when stuff happens, people aren’t making weight, people aren’t signing bout agreements, stuff like that,” he said.
“A huge message to every strawweight out there in my division. Work hard, man. I want to fight every one of you guys. And if you guys are f*** around, it isn’t fair to me. It isn’t fair to my family, and it isn’t fair to ONE Championship and the fans. Quit f******* around.”
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