Released July 23, 1991 Length 48:22 Genres Hip hop music, Pop-rap | Recorded 1990-1991 Release date 23 July 1991 | |
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Music for the People
(1991) You Gotta Believe
(1992) Artists Mark Wahlberg, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch Label Insomniac/Interscope Records Producers Mark Wahlberg, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood Hip hop music albums Life in the Streets, Totally Krossed Out, Stone Cold Rhymin', Very Necessary, To the Extreme | ||
Music for the People is the debut album by American hip hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The album was a success, reaching #1 on the Top Heatseekers Albums chart, and #21 on the Billboard 200, thanks to the hit single, "Good Vibrations". Alongside "Good Vibrations", the album spawned an additional top-ten single, "Wildside" (#10 on the Billboard Hot 100), as well as the minor hits, "Peace" and "I Need Money". The album was certified platinum by the RIAA on January 14, 1992. "Good Vibrations" was Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch's first single, and after its release it went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song, and most of the album, was produced by Mark Wahlberg's brother, Donnie Wahlberg who is part of the group New Kids on the Block.
Contents
Marky mark and the funky bunch music for the people part 1
Background
Before the group was even formed, Mark Wahlberg, who was the lead singer, was in jail for beating a Vietnamese man. Even before Mark got arrested, he dropped out of school at the age of 14 and began hustling, stealing, and selling drugs. Once Mark got out of prison, his older brother Donnie helped him out by getting him involved in the music business. Mark wasn’t the best singer, but with his charisma and looks, Donnie helped him and his group debut their first album. In 1990, Donnie Walhberg convinced younger brother Mark to return to the music scene as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, even landing them a spot as opening act for Donnie’s band, The New Kids on the Block. Mark Walhberg (Marky Mark) was joined by an all black ensemble including Scott Ross (aka Scottie Gee), Hector Barros (Hector the Booty Inspector), Anthony Thomas (Ashley Ace), and Terry Yancey (DJ-T) to create more of a "street" feel for Mark. The following year Donnie went a step further, producing the group’s first and most successful album, Music for the People.
Reception
Music for the People released on July 23, 1991 to mixed reviews. Despite being lauded more for Mark’s physique, and charisma than musicality, the album still managed to receive a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. MTV’s Jason Ankeny says“Rap purists were appalled by Wahlberg's mediocre lyrical skills, lame samples, and tired beats.” In an interview with Oral Tradition, DJ Romeo says that he believes Marky Mark’s disjointed rhythm and rap cadence comes primarily from reading the rap from paper while recording, and that while some rapper’s use a “poets tools,” (simile, hyperbole, and alliteration) Marky Mark “just raps.” The album was the only real successful thing that the group accomplished with its two big hits "Good Vibrations" and "Wildside". The group started to tank a couple years after their platinum album and split up in 1993 when Mark Wahlberg decided to take his career in another direction by starting to act.
Charts and Certifications
Peaks:
Track listing
- "Music for the People" (Donnie Wahlberg, Mark Wahlberg) – 4:19
- "Good Vibrations" (feat. Loleatta Holloway) (M. Wahlberg, D. Wahlberg, Amir "M.C. Spice" Shakir) – 4:25
- "Wildside" (M. Wahlberg, Lou Reed, Amir "M.C. Spice" Shakir) – 5:07
- "Bout Time I Funk You" (M. Wahlberg, D. Wahlberg, L. Johnson, Michael Jonzun) – 4:29
- "Peace" (M. Wahlberg, D. Wahlberg, A. Shakir) – 5:28
- "So What Chu Sayin" (Danny Wood, D. Wahlberg, M. Wahlberg) – 4:41
- "Marky Mark is Here" (D. Wahlberg, M. Wahlberg) – 4:00
- "On the House Tip" (D. Wahlberg, Amir "M.C. Spice" Shakir) – 3:42
- "Make Me Say Ooh!" (D. Wahlberg, Amir "M.C. Spice" Shakir) – 3:43
- "I Need Money" (D. Wahlberg, M. Wahlberg) – 4:29
- "The Last Song on Side B" (M. Wahlberg, D. Wood, Jimmy Castor, J. Pruitt, J. Thomas) – 3:59
Songs
1Music for the People4:18
2Good Vibrations4:31
3Wildside5:07