Be a Man (Randy Savage album)

Last updated

Be a Man
RSavage BeAMan.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 7, 2003
Recorded2003
Genre Hip hop
Length45:53
Label Big3 Records
Producer Da Raskulls

Be a Man is the debut studio album by American professional wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage. It was released on October 7, 2003 by Big3 Records. [1] [2] [3] The song "Perfect Friend" was written as a tribute to "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, [4] while the title track is a diss song aimed at Hulk Hogan.

Contents

Recording and release

Savage was offered the opportunity to record Be a Man after meeting Bill Edwards, the chairman of St. Petersburg, Florida-based Big3 Records. The label's in-house production team, Da Raskulls, wrote and produced the album; Savage is credited as co-composer of "Be a Man" and his brother, Lanny Poffo, wrote the lyrics of "Perfect Friend." [5]

In a 2003 interview, Savage said his feud with Hulk Hogan, the subject of the title track, was genuine, and that his entry into music was earnest. "I'm just trying to have fun, but I can't stress enough that this isn't a novelty act. I'm in this for the long haul," Savage said. [6]

In 2023, the album was released as vinyl LP for the first time as a Record Store Day exclusive. [7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
RapReviews4/10 [9]
Sputnikmusic Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Be a Man sold approximately 15,000 copies. [11] Though the album was critically panned, [10] [8] it did receive some tongue-in-cheek reviews with hyperbolic praise. The Good 5¢ Cigar, the student newspaper of the University of Rhode Island, wrote that Be a Man would "change not only the entire music industry, but your life as you know it. Every song on [the album] is better than any other song you've heard in your life." [12] Ernest A. Jasmin of The News Tribune said Savage is "the epitome of [a] renaissance man", and that his rapping is "way better than Shaquille O'Neal's." [13] Tom Mallon of CMJ New Music Monthly said Savage's flow is "surprisingly tight for a middle-aged, musclebound beef jerky salesman with an audible constipation problem." [14]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Intro"0:47
2."I'm Back"3:19
3."R U Ready"4:15
4."Hit the Floor" (featuring DJ Kool)3:36
5."Let's Get It On"2:38
6."Remember Me"4:01
7."Tear It Up"3:20
8."Macho Thang" (featuring Aja)2:59
9."Be a Man"3:00
10."Get Back"3:25
11."Feel the Madness"3:20
12."What's That All About"3:43
13."Gonna Be Trouble"3:36
14."Perfect Friend" (featuring Prymary Colorz)3:54

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Elizabeth</span> American professional wrestling manager (1960–2003)

Elizabeth Ann Hulette, best known in professional wrestling circles as Miss Elizabeth, was an American occasional professional wrestler, professional wrestling manager, and professional wrestling TV announcer. She gained international fame from 1985 to 1992 in the World Wrestling Federation and from 1996 to 2000 in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), in her role as the manager to wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage, as well as other wrestlers of that period. She died as a result of an acute toxicity on May 1, 2003, in the home she shared with wrestler Lex Luger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hulk Hogan</span> American professional wrestler (born 1953)

Terry Gene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide, the most popular wrestler of the 1980s, one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, and according to a 2022 survey, still the most often cited professional wrestler by the general public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curt Hennig</span> American professional wrestler (1958–2003)

Curtis Michael Hennig, better known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler. Considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time by many peers, critics, and fans, he performed under his real name for promotions including the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and NWA Total Nonstop Action. Hennig was the son of wrestler Larry "The Axe" Hennig and the father of wrestler Curtis Axel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Savage</span> American professional wrestler (1952–2011)

Randy Mario Poffo, better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Hart</span> American musician, professional wrestling manager and sports businessman

James Ray Hart is an American professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician. He is currently signed to WWE in a Legends deal. He is best known for his work in WWE when it was still known as the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and used the nickname "the Mouth of the South".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania III</span> 1987 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event was held on March 29, 1987, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. There were 12 matches, with the main event featuring Hulk Hogan successfully defending the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against André the Giant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania 2</span> 1986 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on April 7, 1986, making it the only WrestleMania that was not held on the traditional Sunday until the two-night WrestleMania 36 in April 2020. The event took place at three venues simultaneously: the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, the Rosemont Horizon in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooke Hogan</span> American television personality and singer (born 1988)

Brooke Ellen Bollea, better known by her stage name Brooke Hogan, is an American television personality and singer. The daughter of former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, she starred in the reality television series Hogan Knows Best from 2005 to 2007. The show saw a then-teenage Brooke struggling with her overprotective father while pursuing her musical career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania IV</span> 1988 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on March 27, 1988, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The announced attendance of the event was 19,199.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania V</span> 1989 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania V was the fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on April 2, 1989, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A total of 14 matches were contested at the event.

The Dungeon of Doom was the name of a heel professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) which existed from 1995 to 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mega Powers</span> Professional wrestling tag team

The Mega Powers was a tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1987 to 1989, consisting of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and managed by Savage's wife, Miss Elizabeth. Lust and jealousy surrounding her led to the team's demise and subsequent feud, culminating in a match at WrestleMania V. They briefly reformed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994 as The Monster Maniacs before returning to their original name. They then interacted regularly thereafter as both teammates and rivals, particularly as members of the New World Order (nWo), until their departures from WCW in 2000.

John W. Bowman Jr., better known by his stage name DJ Kool, is an American DJ and MC who produced several popular rap singles in the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wrestling Classic</span> 1985 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The Wrestling Classic was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on November 7, 1985, at the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois in the United States. It was the promotion's second ever pay-per-view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrestling Superstars</span> Action figure series

Wrestling Superstars were the first action figures based on the wrestlers of the WWF. Wrestling action figures were the brainchild of Richard Derwald of Buffalo NY who sold the idea to LJN in the summer of 1984.. They were made by the toy and video game company LJN from 1984 to 1989. The figures were made of solid rubber and paint and were very accurate in appearance to their real life counterparts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (1989)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1989 SummerSlam was the second annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 28, 1989, in the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Ten matches were contested at the event, including one dark match held before the live broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (1989)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1989 Royal Rumble was the second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. After the inaugural event aired as a television special, the 1989 event aired on pay-per-view (PPV), thus becoming one of the WWF's original four annual PPV events, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, which would become recognized as the "Big Four". It took place on January 15, 1989, at The Summit in Houston, Texas. It centered on the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1988)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1988 Survivor Series was the second annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on November 24, 1988, at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Township, Ohio for the second consecutive year. Four matches were contested at the event.

New Breed is a Christian Latin hip hop duo from Boston, Massachusetts, consisting of brother and sister Rosario "Macho" and Elsie Ortega. An affiliate of the underground hip hop collective Tunnel Rats, the duo has recorded and toured both as part of the Tunnel Rats and independently. After joining the Tunnel Rats in 1998, New Breed appeared on the DJ Maj mixtape Full Plates with the song "What's My Name" in 2001, and later that year on the Tunnel Rats album Tunnel Vision. The duo released its first album, Stop the Music, in 2002, and then appeared on the Tunnel Rats albums Underground Rise, Volume 1 in 2003 and Tunnel Rats in 2004. A second album from New Breed, Nine, came out in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie</span> 1989 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The program aired on December 27, 1989, and consisted of the film No Holds Barred in its entirety, followed by a match previously recorded at a Wrestling Challenge taping on December 12 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. It was one of the few pay-per-view events not made available for streaming at the launch of WWE Network service, although in 2018, the cage match became available as part of the WWE Supertape compilation in the service's Classic Home Video section.

References

  1. "'Macho Man' Savage Cuts Rap LP, Tells Hulk Hogan To Be A Man". Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  2. "The Bizarre Rap Career Of Macho Man Randy Savage". Archived from the original on July 25, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  3. "Remembering Macho Man Randy Savage, More Than 'The Slim Jim Guy'". Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  4. "Macho Man Randy Savage: Reliving the Pain That Was His Rap Album". Archived from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  5. Kangas, Chaz (June 11, 2015). "The Real Story Behind "Macho Man" Randy Savage's Rap Album". Complex . Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  6. Millard, Pauline M. (October 16, 2003). "Macho Madness". The Santa Clarita Valley Signal . The Associated Press. p. A8.
  7. Dunn, Thom (February 19, 2023). ""Macho Man" Randy Savage's rap album is finally getting a vinyl release". BoingBoing. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Be a Man - Randy Savage | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  9. "Macho Man Randy Savage :: Be a Man :: Big3 Records". Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Macho Man Randy Savage - be a Man (Album review )". Sputnikmusic . Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  11. Piellucci, Mike (October 8, 2015). "Throwback Thursday: Inside "Be a Man," Macho Man Randy Savage's Ridiculous Rap Album". Vice . Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  12. "Big3 Records". Big3Records.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2004. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  13. Jasmin, Ernest A. (November 7, 2003). "Wrestler Can Expect Slams in New Role as Rapper". The News Tribune . p. GO-5.
  14. Mallon, Tom (November 2003). "Quickfix". CMJ New Music Monthly . p. 10. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2024.