Be a Man (Randy Savage album) explained
Be a Man |
Type: | album |
Artist: | Randy Savage |
Cover: | File:RSavage_BeAMan.jpg |
Border: | yes |
Released: | October 7, 2003 |
Recorded: | 2003 |
Genre: | Hip hop |
Length: | 45:53 |
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.
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
Be a Man sold approximately 15,000 copies.[8] Though the album was critically panned,[9] [10] 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."[11] 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."[12] Tom Mallon of CMJ New Music Monthly said Savage's flow is "surprisingly tight for middle-aged, musclebound beef jerky salesman with an audible constipation problem."[13]
Notes and References
- Web site: ‘Macho Man’ Savage Cuts Rap LP, Tells Hulk Hogan To Be A Man . July 15, 2014 . January 15, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100115163124/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1477844/20030903/savage_macho_man_randy.jhtml?headlines=true . dead .
- Web site: The Bizarre Rap Career Of Macho Man Randy Savage . July 15, 2014 . July 25, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140725063502/http://allhiphop.com/2014/05/20/the-bizarre-rap-career-of-macho-man-randy-savage/ . live .
- Web site: Remembering Macho Man Randy Savage, More Than ‘The Slim Jim Guy’ . April 24, 2020 . March 14, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160314092511/http://www.mtv.com/news/2581062/macho-man-randy-savage-dies-dead/ . dead .
- Web site: Macho Man Randy Savage: Reliving the Pain That Was His Rap Album . July 15, 2014 . August 15, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140815115328/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1517336-macho-man-randy-savage-reliving-the-pain-that-was-his-rap-album . live .
- Kangas . Chaz . 2015-06-11 . The Real Story Behind "Macho Man" Randy Savage's Rap Album . . 2023-02-16 . February 17, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230217043646/https://www.complex.com/music/2015/06/macho-man-randy-savage-rap-album . live .
- News: Millard . Pauline M. . 2003-10-16 . Macho Madness . . . A8.
- Web site: . 2023-02-19 . 2023-02-19 . en-US . "Macho Man" Randy Savage's rap album is finally getting a vinyl release . Dunn . Thom . February 19, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230219170109/https://boingboing.net/2023/02/19/macho-man-randy-savages-rap-album-is-finally-getting-a-vinyl-release.html . live .
- Piellucci . Mike . 2015-10-08 . Throwback Thursday: Inside "Be a Man," Macho Man Randy Savage's Ridiculous Rap Album . . 2023-02-16 . February 17, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230217043646/https://www.vice.com/en/article/8qpwna/throwback-thursday-inside-be-a-man-macho-man-randy-savages-ridiculous-rap-album . live .
- Web site: Macho Man Randy Savage - be a Man (Album review). Sputnikmusic. February 24, 2018. April 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230402022903/https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/5174/Macho-Man-Randy-Savage-Be-A-Man/. live.
- Web site: Be a Man - Randy Savage | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic. AllMusic. September 22, 2015. January 13, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160113224508/http://www.allmusic.com/album/be-a-man-mw0000325979. live.
- Web site: Big3 Records . https://web.archive.org/web/20040402143713/http://big3records.com/ . 2023-02-16 . . 2004-04-02 . Big3Records.com.
- News: Jasmin . Ernest A. . 2003-11-07 . Wrestler Can Expect Slams in New Role as Rapper . . GO-5.
- Mallon . Tom . November 2003 . Quickfix . . 10 . 2023-02-16 . February 17, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230217045520/https://books.google.com/books?id=5ikEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10 . live .