Sometimes I wonder if he's trying to fool us into forgetting about what he did in the early '90s. But sorry Marky, you were already too ubiquitous back then for anyone not to remember. Feel the vibration, I say. Feel it, feel it.
Mark Wahlberg is today one of the most recognizable and well-respected actor-slash-producers. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe in 2010 for his performance in The Fighter, and he was nominated in 2006 for The Departed.
He does well in dramatic or action movies, but if you've seen The Other Guys and Date Night, you'd say he's not so bad at comedy either.
Of course before any of that, he was that kid who loved showing off his underwear while he walked around with a mic in his hand. I don't just mean that his jeans were too low and made his boxers go peekaboo. He really showed off his underwear - more on that later. He was also known as the obnoxious little brother of Donnie, a.k.a., one of the guys in the boy-band that started it all, The New Kids On The Block.
Mark Wahlberg the Hollywood actor and Marky Mark the rapper seem like two different individuals. I don't blame him for transforming his persona so drastically. I mean, just look at that.
He was the archetypal '90's white rapper: ultra-low jeans, backwards cap, douchy duckfaced smirk and inane lyrics.
Images from here and here. He was the frontman for a group with one of the lamest names ever:
Image from here.
There he is, the one with the mandana.
Fortunately for the world, the Funky Bunch was a one-hit wonder. To their credit, their only hit remains one of the most easily identifiable tunes from the '90s. Good Vibrations is often used in movie soundtracks to this day, and some time ago it was done by the kids in Glee.
Showing off his muscular physique in Good Vibrations opened the door for more exposure, in what probably turned him into a star: those yummy Calvin Klein ads. Despite the rapping and the duckfaced poses, Marky was really hawt.
Calvin Klein ads nicked from here. 
On here with supermodel Kate Moss.
What's wrong with this picture?
Mark Wahlberg is 5'8", while Kate Moss is 5'7".
He's likely standing on a box or something.
I suppose it was due to those ads that he felt better naked in public and decided it was ok to parade around in his tightie whities during his live performances. Or perhaps it was in his contract with Calvin Klien to habitually showcase the product he was endorsing. Why, oh why did he think it was sexy to spew out white-rapper lyrics with his baggy pants around his ankles? No, not even the rock-hard pecs make up for the idiocy.
He made mothers nervous because he just really was far from the ideal role model. I don't recall if it was before or after he did some time in jail when he began to invade the movies.
From here.
Since he was used to dropping trou anyway, his earliest notable role was a struggling porn star screen-named Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights (1997).
And here.
But I think he got more attention as Reese Witherspoon's psycho boyfriend in Fear.
Thank goodness, he's since evolved and repackaged himself as a serious actor and family man. Now that he's grown up and more importantly, cleaned up, I guess it's safe to say that the artist formerly known as Marky Mark is even more loved by the public, even without the Hershey-bar abs.
