Director Jeff Rowe reveals how Transformers: Rise of the Beasts led to one iconic ‘90s song being cut from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The animated film premiered on August 2 and follows the Turtle brothers, who attempt to navigate the human world while battling an army of mutants. A reboot of the TMNT franchise, the movie has been praised for its style and depiction of Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, and other characters. Its voice cast includes Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, Seth Rogen and more.

The soundtrack for TMNT: Mutant Mayhem features a lot of '90s music, including "No Diggity" and "Can I Kick It?," but Rowe reveals that one song ended up getting cut because it was used in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained that while "Mama Said Knock You Out" was used in the film, it was eventually removed. Read Rowe's comments below:

"There was one. We had LL Cool J’s 'Mama Said Knock You Out' in one screening of the movie at one point, and they were like, 'Ah, maybe don’t use that. Transformers is using that in a prominent way.' I haven’t seen it yet, so I don’t know if they did end up using that or not. Well, that was pretty much it. The film had to take place in 2023, but it feels like a ‘90s property to me. So the soundtrack was a way to evoke those feelings of nostalgia without making the movie a period piece, if that makes sense."

Transformers 7 & TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Both Have '90s Elements

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts takes place in 1994, a first for the franchise, tracking two individuals and their efforts to help the Autobots and Maximals. The film's wardrobe and production design reflect that time period and, similar to TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, it also features a '90s-inspired soundtrack. "Mama Said Knock You Out" plays in the film when Bumblebee joins the final battle against the Terrorcons and defeats Nightbird.

Although TMNT: Mutant Mayhem had to cut the LL Cool J song, it still featured notable rap artists, including Busta Rhymes and DMX. Vanilla Ice's "Ninja Rap" was even brought back after being used in 1991's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. In addition to its '90s elements, the movie also involves other characters and scenarios from the TMNT comics, along with those from previous adaptations.

It's interesting to learn how alike Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and TMNT: Mutant Mayhem were when it came to the music. While Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem might not have needed "Momma Said Knock You Out," it is worth wondering how the song would have been used. Still, the film managed to incorporate a lot of other nostalgia factors that longtime fans of the franchise should enjoy.

Source: THR