Key Takeaways:

• Denzel Washington shared his high rapper picks throughout a “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” interview.
• He quoted Nas’ “Represent” and praised the 2025 monitor “brand new teeth” from Samara Cyn and Smino.
• Washington additionally mirrored on his DJ previous, his co-star A$AP Rocky, and his longtime love for the Dallas Cowboys.

Denzel Washington made a latest late-night look to advertise his new movie, Highest to Lowest, directed by Spike Lee. The challenge marks the pair’s fifth collaboration and is at the moment in theaters, with a streaming premiere set for Friday (Sept. 5) on Apple TV+.

Over the course of the interview, Washington mentioned his profession, early jobs, and love for music. When requested about rap, he quoted lyrics from Nas’ 1994 monitor “Represent” earlier than acknowledging the supply. “Full disclosure, everything I said there I stole from a rapper named Nas,” he defined. Washington went on to establish the Queensbridge emcee as certainly one of his all-time favourite rappers. He additionally highlighted newer expertise, pointing to Samara Cyn and Smino’s 2025 collaboration, “brand new teeth,” from Cyn’s backroads EP. Washington stated he had just lately found the track and described staying “up on this now.”

The actor traced his relationship with music again to his teenage years. He recalled working as a DJ at events, full with a full turntable setup in his room. One of his go-to data was Lonnie Liston Smith’s “Expansions,” which he famous was a dependable monitor for protecting the gang engaged on the dance ground. Washington added that he nonetheless owns turntables in the present day.

The Oscar winner additionally spoke about his Highest to Lowest co-star A$AP Rocky, calling the rapper-actor “very intelligent,” “smart,” and “a good dude,” whereas joking about his relationship with Rihanna.

Outside of music, Washington recounted his work historical past previous to turning into an actor. He talked about jobs in a barbershop, a cafeteria, and a interval working as a rubbish man. He defined how these experiences taught him the worth of self-discipline and arduous work. He additionally reaffirmed his longtime Dallas Cowboys fandom, which started in 1966, recalling how the workforce’s shifting formations initially drew his consideration as a younger soccer participant.

The interview ended with an unscripted FaceTime name to musician Lenny Kravitz, who briefly appeared reside from the health club to greet Washington and the studio viewers earlier than signing off.