“Bad Boys” by Inner Circle is one of the most iconic songs in popular culture, having been the theme to Cops for over thirty years and also to the long-running blockbuster Bad Boys film franchise. It’s so instantly recognizable, that most Americans over the age of 25 could probably sing part of its driving, repetitive chorus by heart. (“Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?”) The thing is, as recognizable as the song is, a significant percentage of people would probably peter out after roughly that many words. Including, it seems, Bad Boys star Martin Lawrence.
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Bad Boys isn’t the only song like that, of course. Most people can remember Smash Mouth’s “All Star” lyrics from the beginning of Shrek but probably wouldn’t be able to finish the tune, and a number of politicans over the years have embarrassed themselves by misunderstanding Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” But during the Bad Boys: Ride or Die premiere, ComicBook asked Lawrence if he had taken time out yet to familiarize himself beyond just the hook of the song.
“I haven’t, I haven’t,” Lawrence admitted. “I love the part I know.”
Laughing, Lawrence’s co-star Will Smith came to the rescue, saying, “The thing is, Bad Boys…we solve crimes so fast, we don’t need the rest of the song. Once we’ve got the hook, it’s solved.”
In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, wise-cracking Miami cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are back in action when they learn that their former captain was posthumously framed for working for a drug cartel, igniting a mission to uncover the truth of the conspiracy to find out who set up their late superior. Not only do they hope to restore the honor of their late captain, but also find out who set him up and who might be putting targets on their backs next.
Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Jacob Scipio, Joe Pantoliano, and DJ Khaled all return to star in the fourth entry in the series, which adds Tasha Smith, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Melanie Liburd, and Tiffany Haddish. Bad Boys: Ride or Die also brings back Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Bad Boys: Ride or Die releases in theaters on June 7th.
