It’s not unheard of for eminent, million-dollar rich actors to have had surprise-inducing professions before their Hollywood careers landed the benediction of stardom. Jim Carrey worked as a factory janitor for two years before debuting as a comedian whereas Angelina Jolie took up modeling before metamorphosing into an actress. But perhaps one of the most prevalent vocations that celebrities seem to pick up prior to launching into international fame is music, and Mark Wahlberg is one of the said celebrities.
Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch
Much like the Will Smiths and Ice Cubes of the industry, Mark Wahlberg too, came from a music background that he heartily explored before rising to fame as an established actor.
Wahlberg’s first-ever encounter with popularity was thanks to his elder brother and singer Donnie Wahlberg who used to be part of a rather successful ’80s boy band called ‘New Kids on the Block’. At the young age of 13, the Ted star was one of the original members of the group before he extricated himself from the band. A few years down the line and Wahlberg ended up creating his very own hip-hop group, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
Though they didn’t sell records worth millions, trotting the globe on flamboyant world tours, they certainly had a hit debut with their record ‘Good Vibrations’ making it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, they even ended up releasing a video game titled Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: Make My Video, but contrary to their musical accomplishments, was a certified fail.
Even so, the actor’s rapper days back in the ’90s were certainly prosperous enough.
Mark Wahlberg on Nostalgia From His ‘Marky Mark’ Days
Wahlberg, 52, has been a part of numerous blockbuster films, including big studio projects like Uncharted and Transformers. Gone are those days though, when he’d grab a mike and get on the stage to perform a good old rap routine. But just because his musical career is a thing of the past, doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss it every now and then.
Back when he sat down with Collider for a 2012 interview, The Departed star admitted that it had quite a long time since he’d picked up a microphone to sing, or “even for karaoke.”
“Oh, a long time. I rap in the car with my kids, though. But actually having a microphone in my hand? It’s been a long time.”
Today, it’s been over three decades since Wahlberg dropped his first single as the leader of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. But after all these years, he’s not estranged from his rapper persona, and under the “right circumstances,” the Father Stu star would be more than happy to get back to his lyrical roots. “Give me two days to rehearse,” he said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last year. “I can just get back into the swing of things. I need to just hear it and feel it.”
Source: Collider
