Welcome everyone to another
installment of Rave Up Music’s WRASSLE-PALOOZA! I am your host
Barius, and we continue looking at pro wrestlers who have tried to make the
transition from sports entertainers to music…um…entertainers with very various
degrees of failure. For this installment, we are taking a look at an album from
one of the most charismatic, larger-than-life, and well…insane characters to
ever enter the squared circle. Today, we look at the brief music career of the
late Randall Poffo, better known by some of you as “Macho Man” Randy Savage! Oh
Yeah!
Growing up watching World
Wrestling Federation in the early 1990s, I was always fascinated by the Macho
Man. Whether it was the flashy clothes, the amazing technical skills in the
ring, or his absolutely insane promos, Savage always had a way to capture the
attention of the WWF/E audience.
Tell me you are not entertained by this
promo…
Unbeknownst to me for a long time,
Randy Savage actually had an interest in music, and while I would think he
would do a rock-like album like his long-time friend/rival Hulk Hogan, Savage
released a rap album entitled Be A Man
in 2003. Produced by Big3 Records, did not make a lot of waves in its initial
released, with the exception of the title track, which is a diss song towards
Hulk Hogan and how much of a coward he is.
While it was the intent of Savage
to release another album, it tragically did not come to fruition. On May 20th,
2011, Randy Savage passed away from a massive heart attack while driving around
in Seminole, Florida, leaving a great wrestling legacy behind.
Even though Macho Man has passed
away, I have always wanted to look at this album, for I heard how ridiculous
this album is. So, it is really just a crazy as a Macho Man promo or match?
Well, grab a front row seat ringside as we take a look at “Macho Man” Randy Savage – Be A Man! OH YEAH!
ALBUM
COVER:
Wow! And I thought the album
cover to Hulk Rules was awkward. The
album cover features Savage wearing chains and really tight black clothing. It
is weird for me seeing Macho Man in these kind of clothes because I am use to
see him attire like this:
This album cover is to give the
impression that Savage is “hardcore” and meant to taken seriously. But, when I
grew with the wrestling superstar in flashy, glitter outfits, it is hard to see
him as a legitimate rapper. But who know? Maybe the album will actually be a
serious, musical statement from Savage, but I honestly doubt it.
THE
SONGS/TRACKS:
For this review, I decided to
post a YouTube video that has the full album instead of individual videos
because it is hard to find all of these songs online, and I want to talk about
all of the songs on this album:
“Intro”
and “I’m Back”
Well, this is an interesting way
to start off the album. “Intro” is just a track of various conversations of
people talking about Macho Man’s return to the spotlight, which leads to the
second track of “I’m Back.” Really, there is not much to this track, though I
do think some of the dialogue is pretty weird. There is this one conversation
between to ladies about Savage:
"Girl, he look good to be
an old man, I would date him."
"He look so good, he had
tight black pants and his muscles was all bulgin'."
Yeah, I have never met a woman
who talks like this, and if I did, it was a bad, shallow stereotype on
television.
The second track, “I’m Back” is
about Savage bragging about how he was back, and ready to talk the music
industry by storm. Honestly, I never realized that Macho Man left. Yes, he took
a break from wrestling when WCW was bought by Vince McMahon in 2001, but he
never really left my subconscious. And for people outside of the wrestling
industry, he was never that big of a name like Hulk Hogan, even when he won the
World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania IV in 1988. So, it would be hard
for the average person to know that he did go away for a bit.
As for the music of “I’m Back,”
it is nothing really special. It has a very simple, generic rap beat, though I
think that the guitars are decently produced. The lyrics are about Randy being
back and how awesome he really is, both in the ring and on the mic rapping.
Well, I agree with one of those statements…here’s a hint: it is the one that
does not involve music…
“Ru
Ready” and “Hit The Floor”
Oh boy…these tracks are just
hilariously stupid. I am guessing “Ru Ready” is one of those party jams find on
a lot of rap albums that tries to get the audience pumped up. And it fails to
do so, especially with the overuse of the phrases “Put your hands in the air
and wave 'em like you just don't care” and “Ru Ready?” Also, great use of “Ru” to represent the words
“are you.” Because poor literacy is KEWL! Really, I am less pumped up after
listening to this song because I am too busy laughing my butt off.
“Hit
The Floor” sort of also has a party jam feel to it, with guest artist DJ Kool
asking people if they are ready to party, and Savage rapping about kicking
people butts if they do not get out of his way. While I laughed at “Ru Ready,”
I am just shaking my head at this one since I am basically listening to the
same track again, and it really follows a lot of rap album conventions.
Honestly, I would listen to “Ru Ready” for how ludicrous it is, and I would
skip “Hit The Floor.”
“Let’s Get It On” and “Remember Me”
With
these two tracks, we start to see two of the three main themes found throughout
the album. First, with “Let’s Get It On,” there is the theme of Macho Man’s
desire to kick everyone’s butt. The second theme is Savage’s obsession to have
people remember who he was as a wrestler, and how he was one of the best, as
found in the slightly slower jam of “Remember Me.” To be honest, both themes
are getting a bit grating on the ears after you heard it the first few tracks, and
I never thought I would say this, but I am starting to get a little annoyed of
hearing Savage use that catchphrase, “Oh yeah!” a thousand times. Really, these
tracks just repeat a lot of what was heard earlier, and really contributes
nothing to the album.
“Tear It Up” and “Macho Thang”
And
here we have two songs that feature very common themes in a lot of rap albums:
how awesome the rap artist is on the mic, and how we are going to hit up the
club. I may not be a big fan of rap music, but if there are two themes I
despise in rap music, they are songs bragging about your rap skills and songs
about going to the club to party. I would rather have rap lyrics that are
either more serious or personal that invokes deep emotions, or are really
off-the-wall and very silly. Hearing Macho Man rap about going to the club or
bragging about his rapping skills just makes me shake my head in disapproval
and makes me wish Savage would have left these songs out of the final album
mix. Also, a “Macho Thang?” Who in the 21st Century actually uses
the term “thang”? Seriously, every time I hear Randy use that term, I just
cringe and groan. Ugh…
“Be A Man”
I can
say without any hint of sarcasm that the title track of “Be A Man” is the best
song on this album. The beat is really catchy, the instrumentals have really
great hooks to it, and Savage’s rapping really has great flow to it. Plus, the
song is one of the funniest songs ever, as Savage raps about Hulk Hogan being a
coward for not wanting to face Macho Man is a real fight. I love Savage’s
examples of how Hogan’s movies have sucked, and how his skills in the ring were
very limited. Yes, I am aware that just last week I admitted to being a fan of
the Hulk Hogan character, but I cannot help find how funny the song is in
painting this ridiculous picture of the immortal one himself. If there is one
song you need have from this album, it is “Be a Man.”
“Get
Back” and
“Feel the Madness”
I am starting to get the
sensation of déjà vu when listening to the track “Get Back.” It is yet another
song about Macho man beating the living tar out of you. Heck, some of the beats
to it is a lot like the other songs on here where Savage raps about fighting
somebody. As a side note, there is a interesting lyric in the song where Savage
mentions being the original King of the Ring, which is sort of inaccurate since
there have been many other kings before the Macho One, including King Harley
Race, King Haku, and of course, Jerry “the King” Lawler.
“Feel The Madness” is in
reference to Macho Madness, a description for the sometime erratic behavior of
Savage’s wrestling persona, which I think Savage had a hard time distinguishing
the character from the person portraying the character. This is yet another
party song, but this time it intertwines with a Macho Man beating up on people
song. It feels like Randy might not have had a lot of material to write about.
Well, maybe the next few tracks will be different than the rest of the songs.
“What’s
That All About” and
“Gonna Be Trouble”
Oh great, just what we really
needed: slow jam ballad, featuring a rapping Macho Man Randy Savage in a very
dull bass register. The song is about Savage not being able to be with a girl
who supposedly completes. Part of the song has a slightly creepy overtone to
it, like Savage is obsess with this girl. The one line that really baffles me
is this one: "Even though we fight, I know we'll work it out, because
the last thing I wanna do is scream and shout." That is just hilarious
to read and hear since Randy made a career in professional wrestling of
shouting and being absolutely insane.
Oh, and “Gonna Be Trouble” is
another Macho Man beating up on people song. Yippee…
“My
Perfect Friend”
The final track of the album is a
tribute to one of Savage’s good friend, Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig, who passed
away in early 2003 before the release of Be
A Man. It is a surprising heartfelt tune, or at least as heartfelt as you
can get with some like the Macho Man. It is not really a good tune, but I
cannot really get to critical about the song…minus the fact it is a bit ironic
that Savage is performing a rap song as a tribute to Hennig, while Hennig
himself was part of a country music group called The West Texas Rednecks that had
a song entitled “Rap is Crap.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y82jElEPs8k
Please follow the link because this song is hilarious!
OVERALL
IMPRESSION:
Similar to his contemporary Hulk
Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage released an album that really strokes at his ego
of being one of the biggest names in professional wrestling. Savage boasts on
the album itself how it would change the music industry. But, also like Hulk
Hogan’s album Hulk Rules, Randy
Savage’s Be A Man has a hard time
finding itself an audience. The album does not really appeal to your hardcore
rap audience, nor does it really appeal to any wrestling fans. The rap beats
are as generic as any run-of-the-mill rap album, and some of the instrumental music
parts are not that well-produced.
What really makes Be A Man a poorly-produced album is the
lack of variety of lyrical themes in the songs. There are really three main
themes on the album: 1) Macho Man claiming he is back and bragging about how
super-special-awesome he is, 2) Macho Man beating someone up, and 3) getting
the crowd pumped up to party. Because of the lyrics and lack of musical variety
in the instrumental parts, it is very difficult to distinguish the difference
between most of the songs on the album. The only two tracks that really stand
out are “Be A Man” and “My Perfect Friend,” and even then it is because they
are both pretty comical.
Overall, Be A Man is really an unintentional funny album from one of the
craziest men of the wrestling world. It is badly-produced, lacks any sort of
music direction, and is full of lyrics that will live you with your sides
hurting from so much laughter. It is actually kind of sad that the world will
never get the chance to receive another album from the Macho Man. If we did, I
am sure we will be entertained by it just as much as Randy Savage entertained
millions of wrestling fans all over the world.
Well, that brings us to the end
of another installment of Rave Up Music’s Wrassle-Palooza! Next week, we are
taking a short break from Wrassle-Palooza as we celebrate the music of my
people….the Irish! Until then, I will leave with some more insane promos form
the Macho Man! As for me, I am going to go snap into a Slim Jim. OOOHHHH
YYYEEEAAAHHHHH!!!!!!
In Memory of “Macho Man” Randy Savage
1952 – 2011
NOTE: All material and media
featured in this blog are owned by their respected copyright holders, and are
only used for purposes of review, commentary and satire under the terms of Fair
Use. Please support the official release of all media used in this review.
No comments:
Post a Comment