We have some big news, and we’re not sure how to break it to you, so we’re just going to come out and say it: Tom Hanks… is a rapper.

It’s true, and it’s also not really news. You see, Tom Hanks has been a hip-hop hero since 1987, when he and Dan Aykroyd recorded “City of Crime”, a one-off rap single to promote their movie from the same year, Dragnet. We’re not sure why film studios thought that a hastily recorded and poorly written rap song with hilariously poor lyrics would convince somebody to watch a movie, but that’s besides the point.

This is all great fun, but why bring it up now? Hanks was recently a guest on The Graham Norton Show, and Norton, being the high quality host that he is, did his research and thought Hanks would enjoy reminiscing about his musical past.

It turns out that (a particularly silver-haired) Hanks buried that part of his past for a reason: when Norton said he heard that Hanks was a recording artist, he responded with, “Oh dear.” But Hanks, being the ultimate good sport that he is, indulged Norton’s curiosity and even rapped the first verse with great enthusiasm.

Hanks’ son–not Collin–is actually a rapper who goes by Chet Haze, but still, we think Tom is the superior rhyme-smith. Haze is also wanted by British authorities for trashing a hotel room, so at the very least, the elder Hanks would probably be easier to manage on the road.

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HT: Vulture
IMAGE: Buckwheat Groats