Much like Will Smith, Mark Wahlberg began his career in hip-hop. His first venture into music was as the fifth member of boy band New Kids on the Block. However, this endeavor was short-lived and resulted in Mark’s resignation. He then switched genres of music and formed Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
The Funky Bunch consisted of Wahlberg, Anthony “Ashey Ace” Thomas, Scott “Scottie Gee” Ross, Hector “the Booty Inspector” Barros and Terry “DJ-T” Yancey. The group released their first album on July 23, 1991 under the name “Music for the People.” The album created a few singles including “Good Vibrations,” the group’s most well-known song; its unforgettable chorus samples “Love Sensation” by Loleatta Holloway.
The next single, “Wildside,” featured a similar song formula in that it samples the Lou Reed song “Walk on the Wild Side.” It is nearly a complete opposite of “Good Vibrations.” It is a somber song that discusses dark topics like drugs while “Good Vibrations” is upbeat and features a happier tone. The album went platinum in 1992.
After the release of the group’s debut album, a video game was created for the Sega Mega CD system titled “Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: Make My Video.” The video game allowed users to edit the music videos of select songs from the group’s catalogue. The songs on the game were “Good Vibrations,” “I Need Money” and “You Gotta Believe.” The game was not well-received.
On Sept. 15, 1992, the group released its final record, “You Gotta Believe.” The album was not as successful as its predecessor, but it featured the single “You Gotta Believe.” It also featured a collaboration with Wahlberg’s brother Donnie, titled, “Loungin’.”Profanities were used more liberally in this album, but they appear to have been censored off the album. An uncensored version does not exist.
After the dismal results from “You Gotta Believe,” the group disbanded. Mark Wahlberg continued his music career by collaborating with reggae singer Prince Ital Joe on the album “Life in the Streets.” The album was never released in the U.S., but it gained wide notoriety in Germany and even spawned four charted singles. The album was followed by a remix album, aptly titled “The Remix Album.” This finished off Wahlberg’s music career.
Wahlberg has since decided to focus on his acting career, starring in several hit moviessuch as “The Perfect Storm,” “The Departed” and “The Fighter.” His role in “The Departed” landed him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards and a Golden Globe nomination as well. Recently, Wahlberg has been cast as the new lead character in the fourth “Transformers” film.