Rita Wilson, Mother of Chet Haze, Remixes Naughty by Nature’s ‘Hip Hop Hooray’

Rita Wilson — mother of rapper Chet Haze — debuted her rapping skills two weeks ago on Instagram with a cover of Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray.” The legendary hip-hop trio must be as “quarantine stir crazy” as Wilson, because they have enlisted the actress/singer for a remix of the track. Sure, why not!

The song begins with the announcement, “Give it up for Rita Wilson!” and escalates from there, with Wilson’s performance woven through the original track. Naughty by Nature are as surprised as you are that this exists; they were sent the video Wilson recorded while recovering from the novel coronavirus with husband Tom Hanks in Australia. 

“We were totally shocked she could rap the verses so well,” the group offered in a statement.

“’Hip Hop Hooray’ is like modern-day Shakespeare,” Wilson adds. She had first mastered the song for her role in the 2019 film Boy Genius. “It took me a month to learn because it’s so complex and nuanced; it was like training for a marathon. The rhythms and tempos are so unique and creative. When I was quarantined and recovering from COVID-19 I wanted to see if I still remembered it, kind of like a brain exercise. To my surprise I did. I thought it would be fun to put it on my Instagram to show people I was doing OK and to make them smile. When Naughty by Nature commented about it, I couldn’t believe it.” 

No wonder Chet Haze became a rapper.

Net profits from the remix will benefit MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund, which will help members of the music community affected by the coronavirus pandemic.