''Music for the People'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was an American hip-hop group formed in 1991 by Mark Wahlberg (alias Marky Mark), Scott Gee, Hector the Booty Inspector, DJ-T, and Ashey Ace. The group's best known song is " Good Vibrations", which made it to numbe ...
, released on July 23, 1991. The album was a success, reaching #1 on the
Top Heatseekers Albums
Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
chart, and #21 on the
''Billboard'' 200, thanks to the hit single, "
Good Vibrations
"Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record ...
". Alongside "Good Vibrations", the album spawned an additional top-ten single, "
Wildside" (#10 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100) and the minor hit "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
Donald Edmond Wahlberg Jr. (born August 17, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, record producer, and film producer. He is a founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. Outside music, he has had roles in the ''Saw' ...
, who is part of the group
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...
.
Background
Before the group was even formed,
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three ...
, who was the lead singer, was in jail for beating a
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
man. Even before Mark got arrested, he dropped out of school at the age of 14 and began
hustling
Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a sport or game with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into gambling (or gambling for higher than current stakes) with the hustler, as a form of both a confidence tri ...
,
stealing, and selling
drugs
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalat ...
. 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
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...
.
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 rappers use “poets tools,” (
simile
A simile () is a figure of speech that directly ''compares'' two things. Similes differ from other metaphors by highlighting the similarities between two things using comparison words such as "like", "as", "so", or "than", while other metaphors cr ...
,
hyperbole
Hyperbole (; adj. hyperbolic ) is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. In rhetoric, it is also sometimes known as auxesis (literally 'growth'). In poetry and oratory, it emphasizes, evokes strong feelings, and ...
, and
alliteration
Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...
) 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.
Track listing
* signifies a co-
producer
Personnel
Adapted credits from the media notes of ''Music for the People''.
*Leo Okeke: chief engineer, keyboards, bass, Macintosh Protracks programming, digital sampling
*Donnie Wahlberg: drum programming, Macintosh Protracks programming, digital sampling
*Mary Alford: mixing
*
Ted Jensen
Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''.
Biography
Ted ...
: mastering
( Sterling Sound)
*D.J. Terry Yancey: scratches
*Jeff Dovner, Randy Melton: engineering
*Tom Soares: mix engineering
*Joe Pires, Jamie Locke: assistant mix engineering
*Chuck Reed: A&R coordinator
Charts and certifications
Charts
Certifications
*
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
– Platinum
References
{{Authority control
Mark Wahlberg albums
1991 debut albums
Interscope Records albums
Atlantic Records albums