Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will face off this weekend for what many boxing fans are calling the "fight of the century." Regardless of how great the sparring actually is, it will certainly feature the highest payout in the sport's history, with the two fighters sharing up to $300 million between them. Music Times might not be a sports outlet but we wanted to get in on the action by creating playlists for each of the contestants involved. Here are five tracks to get Manny Pacquiao pumped, ranging from Rick Ross to Shakira. Check out our Mayweather playlist here.
"Lalaban Ako Para Sa Pilipino" by Manny Pacquiao
If you read our parallel playlist for Floyd Mayweather, you know that he's entered the ring to tunes ranging from Lil Wayne to The O'Jays. "Money" hasn't announced a song that he'll enter to for Saturday's big fight, but his opponent has: Pacquiao has announced that he'll make his entry to "Lalaban Ako Para Sa Pilipino," a tune written by...Manny Pacquiao? Indeed, one of the many other trades that Pacquiao has entered—aside from being a Congressman in his homeland of the Philippines—is songwriting: The boxer/performer released two albums, Laban Nating Lahat Ito and Pac-Man Punch (a reference to his video game-based nickname), before "retiring" from music. The specific song that he'll appear with on Saturday translates to "I Fight for The Filipino People," an indicator of his demigod status in the nation. He won't just be boxing for his homeland however, as at least half the world wants to see Mayweather finally bite the mat.
"Imagine" by Manny Pacquiao / Will Ferrell
Mayweather may rub elbows with plenty of celebrities...but not exactly the same clientele that Pacquiao consorts with. The Filipino boxer has a better sense of humor to be sure, which is why he has no problem making his own recordings, as well as appearing alongside comedians such as Will Ferrell. The pair came together during 2010 on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! during 2010 to perform the immortal "Imagine" from John Lennon. Ferrell comes across as comically sincere, singing the first verse and wearing a white suit. Pacquiao didn't dress for the part but he tackles the second verse and showing off an impressive falsetto, as his comedian pal serves as a hype-man during the verse. Of course the lovely couple locks eyes as they both sing "I hope that you'll join us."
"Shot Caller Remix" by French Montana / Rick Ross
Okay, so Manny Pacquiao might not have the rap game in his corner as much as Floyd Mayweather does, but he still gathers praise from emcees. One of the most interesting cases comes from Rick Ross when he makes a guest appearance during the remix of French Montana's "Shot Caller."..."We on the floor, Pacquiao, the world's greatest / boxing' n*ggas, all I ever did was mob and weave." It's another double entendre as Ross compares himself to Pacquiao—both have firm religious beliefs—while he compares himself to the boxer for being the "world's greatest." Now there's more intrigue to go along with this lyrical shout-out: Ross is among the rappers who has been seen in company of Mayweather before, even performing at the weigh-in for his fight with Marcos Maidana. Ross made his claims during 2012, which was a period where he and Mayweather had a beef, which the pair would "squash" during 2013...so the rapper might be on Team Mayweather come Saturday.
"Manny Pacquiao" by Kool A.D.
Manny Pacquiao certainly has connections with rappers, and he certainly has connections with comedians. Sometimes these two classes of connections intersect, as is the case here. Mayweather might have plenty of references within rap lyrics but he sure doesn't have any rap songs actually named after him. Pacquiao does thanks to Kool A.D., an emcee best known for his role within Das Racist. The introduction to the song makes the connection between the sparrer and the song: "Sting heavy, still float like a featherweight / Manny Pacquiao, Manny Pacquiao, Manny Pacuiao, Manny Pacquiao." That's about as far as the boxing connection goes. Throughout the song the rapper continues to compare him to a slew of other celebrities. He begins the second verse with "B*tch I'm Thom Yorke, b*tch I'm James Murphy, b*tch I'm James Kirkland"...a reference to the singers of Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem and Kirkland...a different boxer. At least Pacquaio got the title?
"Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira
Manny Pacquiao got an official playlist on Spotify during 2013 when he dropped the "Mayweather Boxing Club." Pacquiao joined his ranks recently when he uploaded a training playlist that he was supposedly using as he trained to face Mayweather this weekend. Like Mayweather (who included several tracks from Phil Collins and Hall & Oates). Pacquiao doesn't necessarily include the most hardcore of music in his training playlists. The closing number of the boxer's 24-track playlist was Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie." Although it might sound like an overly-feminine tune, the single kind of has a boxing connection of its own. Although Shakira may be renowned for her hips, Pacquiao and other boxers make similar motions with their shoulders while sparring.
