Mike Tyson Talks Madonna 'Rebel Heart' Recording Session: "It Was Really Intense"

In case you needed proof that the '80s are still alive and well, look no further than a recent collaboration between Madonna and former boxing champion Mike Tyson. Apparently, the pop star called up Tyson for a weird cameo on her new Rebel Heart album, and he obliged.

"Madonna calls you and tells you to come somewhere, you go," Tyson told Rolling Stone. "I didn't know what the hell I was going there for ... 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."

Tyson claimed he ad-libbed his part of the song in one take. Oh, and you'll never guess who inspired his work.

"When I did it, I think about being some guy like [Benito] Mussolini and they're really arrogant, but you try to come from a positive perspective and be uplifting," he said. "You watch Mussolini on television - even though we don't understand what he's saying - he is so mesmerizing. I look at myself in that way."

Let's just stop for a moment and acknowledge those words. Just run 'em back a time or two. Now, prepare yourself for more:

"No wonder why Hitler was attracted to him," Tyson said. "This guy's a hypnotic figure. There's so much pride behind what he's saying. I'm not even Italian and I feel the pride he's projecting. He had that street swag; he was doing this stuff with his hands and moving his head before it was even hip-hop."

Enough about dictators, Mike. Let's talk about the star of the show, a 56-year-old pop legend who continues to make an impact on the chart.

"She's an awesome, serene person," Tyson said. "She's trying to do something that since the beginning of time has been the most difficult thing to do: Save the world. I commend her for that. She is a fighter in every sense of the word and from an intergalactic perspective."

This is already up for "best interview of 2015." The rest of America has 11 months to top it.

Tags

Mike Tyson, Madonna