Did you know that legendary wrestler “Macho Man,” the late Randy Savage, released a rap album titled Be A Man in 2003? No? Good for you. Savage was a larger-than-life character whose CV leaves many to shame. He was a minor league baseball player before blowing out his shoulder. He helped introduce the concepts of intro music and female managers to the wrestling world during his Hall of Fame career. He was a fashion icon. He was a beef jerky salesman. He was a screen and voice actor. He never broke character, not once, probably not even in his private life. In a memorable interview with Arsenio Hall in 1992, he expounded on how it’s ok for Macho Men to cry. And yes, strangely enough, he put out a rap album.
Why? The answer is unclear. Perhaps this modern-day Renaissance (Macho) Man, fresh off of his success as Bonesaw McGraw in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, felt that stepping out of the squared circle and into the squared studio was an inevitable progression of his art. And it was also another opportunity to take a shot at fellow legend/frenemy Hulk Hogan. The title track is nothing less than a classic rap dis track, full of inflammatory statements about the Hulkster’s career and character, delivered in Savage’s distinct pinched growl that can only be described as low-rent DMX.
So, is Be A Man any good? It is not. It is marginally more listenable than Hogan’s own musical output, but that’s not saying much. Savage proved to be a mildly competent MC, but the novelty quickly wears off. The record was produced and released by an independent Florida-based label, Big3 Records. Most of the 14 tracks were written for Savage by the label’s in-house production team, although he claimed writing credit for the Hogan dis. None of the lyrics are particularly memorable, and the production is anonymous at best and amateurish at worst. Hip-hop side character DJ Kool (of “Let Me Clear My Throat” fame) shows up for what is ostensibly a dance track (“Hit the Floor”) that is entertaining in the way a puppy barking at itself in a mirror is – you understand the intent and the objective, but question the execution. It’s ultimately a situation that can have no winners. The whole record unfolds in a similar fashion.
Does any of this matter? Of course not. Non-musician celebrities have been releasing vanity music projects for decades. Most pass quickly through the cultural ether as nothing more than curios. Be A Man is no different, but it’s a lot funnier to think about a Macho Man rap album than it is to think about, say, Russell Crowe’s band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, or Jeremy Renner’s country-esque EP. The album was critically panned by those who noticed it, which wasn’t many. It is no more than a footnote in a life lived largely. But it is not a failure. Macho Man decided he wanted to put out a rap album, so he did it. I doubt he cared what anyone thought. Let us all be as self-confident and comfortable in our own skin to put out a debut rap record when we’re 50. Oh yeah!
