This album isn't easy to review in a giant context, nor is it easy as a track by track, so I'm going to do a bit of both.
Randy Savage would like to let you know that Hulk Hogan is a pussy. No, he doesn't go right out and say it, but let's face it, the title track off his debut album, Be A Man, is entirely devoted to the fact.
Hollywood Hulkster you're at the end of your rope
And I'm a kick ya in the butt and wash your mouth out with soap
There you have some lyricism at it's best…well, not quite. With his debut album, Macho Man is essentially rapping because he says he loves music, but can't sing. To be frank, it's sort of a cash grab, but damn is it hilarious. The lyrics? Well, they're not written by Macho Man, rather they were written for him, but damn do they blow. In fact, the album as a whole sort of blows, but that's most likely the point. The album never takes itself too seriously, even on more serious tracks like
My Perfect Friend, a slower paced dedication to his WWF/WCW/NWO co-worker Mr. Perfect who passed away a while back.
Let's check some tracks
RU Ready?: Here's a real beaut, a guitar infused angry rap about well…nothing really. It's basically asking if you're ready for Macho Man. He warns
"We gonna do the damn thing so I hope y'all ready" because, now, this is the crucial part,
Savage Man's gonna rip the microphone like confetti. While not the best rap song, it's at least funny. It's still pretty repetitive, though, so I can only give it a 7/10 on the cheese scale. Maybe it's the fact Macho Man doesn't really rap for the majority of the song, or maybe it's the fact the emphasis is more on the guitars than his voice, regardless, it could have been funnier.
Be A Man – Alright, this song is priceless. It addresses an actual real life feud between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage which is essentially summed up [url= http://www.tlchicken.com/view_story.php?ARTid=1736]HERE[/url]. It more or less attacks everything about Hulk Hogan: His less than spectacular acting and, actually that's about it. The song mostly just calls Hogan a "punk", a coward. He also sort of touches on Hogan selling out, but I wont touch on that since I mean, this is the guy known for his Slim Jim ads. There's part that stands out in the song, it basically goes like this
"But I'm a keep on messin' wit ya dude day after day
And once you step to Macho you're through
The joke's on you so Hulk what you gonna do
Probably nothing cuz you're a real big punk"
Come on; admit it, that's pure genius. Maybe it's not lyrical genius, but it's genius nonetheless.
My Perfect Friend – Karma aside, I can't do a review of this album without making fun of this song. Yes, it's a dedication to the since passed Mr. Perfect (Kurt Henning), but I'm sorry, it's totally ridiculous. It's your basic mid-tempo R&B song (the R&B chorus is sung by Prymary) with rapped verses. It constantly plays on the idea of Kurt Henning's persona being ‘Mr.Perfect', but the sentiment dies out quickly. This is actually the only song where Randy Savage doesn't sound like he's on the border of passing out, though, so that's always a plus. Lines like "He really was perfection but now he's gone away, you were lucky if you'd known him, and miss him every day". Well, it doesn't make sense, but I guess it's touching…
oh wait…someone else wrote these lyrics, nevermind.
Alright, I'll sum this album up quickly.
- Cheese. It gets a 10.0 on the cheesy scale, which is worth your money (or download), at least in my opinion
- Lyrics. From an actual Hiphop point of view, I'd say 1.0/10, but luckily this album is not meant to be taken seriously. Let me repeat, it's NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
- Music. Meh. It's pretty generic late 90s Hiphop with a Randy Savage touch. The vocals are, to say the least, unique. The Macho Man's scowl is one of a kind, and although harsh, it sounds as if he's having some actual trouble getting the words out. Seriously, I don't know how he can talk like this…must be all the Slim Jims
This album is a must own, but only if you're paying less than $10 for it. It's ridiculous and dare I say surpasses the early Hulk Hogan (he's a pussy) albums of the early 90s. Real American? That he may be, but the Hulkster can never compete with the Macho Man.
FINAL VERDICT
As a novelty album this gets 8/10
As a real album it gets 1/10.
