Mac Lethal
Mac Lethal | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | David McCleary Sheldon[1] |
| Also known as | Uncle Mac[2] |
| Born | July 25, 1981[1] Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.[1] |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts | |
| Website | maclethal |
David McCleary Sheldon (born July 25, 1981), better known by his stage name Mac Lethal,[1] is an American rapper from Kansas City, Missouri.[3] He is the founder of Black Clover Records[4] and formerly a radio host on KRBZ 96.5 the Buzz show, Black Clover Radio.[5]
Sheldon's second studio album, 11:11, peaked at number 4 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. In 2011, he went viral over a YouTube video of him rapping to Look At Me Now while making pancakes in his kitchen. Sheldon runs a self-titled YouTube channel which acquired approximately 2.3 million subscribers. In 2017, he launched a YouTube series called "Mac Lethal Raps About Strangers".
Career[edit]
Musical beginnings, Men Are from Mars, Pornstars Are from Earth, Scribble Jam, and The Love Potion Collection (1998-2003)[edit]
In 1998, Sheldon began rap battling against emcees from rival Kansas City high schools. His rapping skills gained his recognition in the Kansas City hip hop community and in August 2001, entered the emcee battle at Scribble Jam, taking second place in the finals. He also released his debut extended play Moon Thinker.
Mac released his debut studio album, Men Are from Mars, Pornstars Are from Earth, with HHI Recordings in 2002.[6] He also returned to Scribble Jam to claim the title in the rap battle finals.[7]
In 2003, Mac released the first volume of The Love Potion Collection and his extended play Nine Situations. In 2004, Mac and Murs released the EP Women of Scribble Jam. The tracklist consisted of three songs: "Women of Scribble Jam", "Where the Wild Things Are", "Cyborg Love". That same year, Mac claimed second place at Scribble Jam and opened for Sage Francis on the "Fuck Clear Channel Tour".[8]
Black Clover, 11:11, and rise to fame (2006-2011)[edit]
In 2006, Mac founded Black Clover Records with music producer Jeremy Willis, who had formerly managed Datura Records.[4] The same year, he released the second and third volume of The Love Potion Collection. In 2007, Mac released his second studio album, 11:11, under Rhymesayers Entertainment.[9] The album peaked at number 4 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. He also released The Love Potion Collection 4.
On February 25, 2008, Mac released his fourth extended play Daytrotter Session. On April 8, he released the single "Sun Storm" from 11:11. On June 2, Mac released his fifth EP Digital Love Potion. He dropped The Crown Prime Rib Mixtape under Black Clover Records. On March 25, 2009, Mac previewed The Love Potion Collection 5 with the album single "Undertow". The mixtape was released on October 3 with Black Clover.
In 2010, Mac released The Love Potion Collection 6. On March 8, 2011, he released the EP Fast as Hell Though. Mac followed it up with the mixtape Blood in the Water on April 10. On September 11, he released the seventh and most recent volume of The Love Potion Collection. Mac was approached by Japanese corporation Sony with a deal but he turned them down, referring to the $250,000, five album, two option and one milestone option deal as "insane".[10]
In November 2011, Mac Lethal released a video on YouTube of him rapping over the beat to Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now" while he prepares a dish of pancakes in his kitchen.[11] The video became a viral hit and acquired millions of views in a matter of days, leading to interviews on websites such as CNN and The Washington Post.[12][13] It was included on Spin's "10 Most Contagiously Viral Musical Web Sensations of 2011" list.[14] On December 31, 2011, he also released his third studio album Irish Goodbye under Black Clover.[15]
Texts from Bennett, Postcards from Kansas City, and "Alphabet Insanity" (2012-2014)[edit]
In 2012, Mac released the singles "You're vs. Your", "How to Make Your Own Chick-fil-A", "Beatbox + iPhone + Guitar + Fast Rap = Win". Mac Lethal began running a Tumblr feed called "Texts from Bennett" in which he posts text message conversations between himself and his cousin Bennett. Although some have questioned whether or not Bennett is a real person, he insists that the conversations are genuine.[16] He released the novel of the same name with Simon & Schuster in 2013.[17][18]
On January 8, 2014, Mac released his fourth studio album Postcards from Kansas City. On February 20, he uploaded a video of him rapping through the entire alphabet. Mac released the song under the name Alphabet Insanity. The video and song went viral on the internet, on March 24, 2014, Mac was featured on the Ellen Show for it. On the show, he performed a rap remixing the show's theme song. On August 27, Mac released the single "Incredible Mozart Rap".
Binge Thinking, Congratulations, and Tom Macdonald fued (2015-present)[edit]
On June 23, 2015, Mac released the song "Kansas City Royals Insanity". Mac Lethal and Amber Diamond host the television show, Binge Thinking, which premiered on MTV2 on April 1, 2016.[19][20] On September 13, 2016, he released a studio album, Congratulations, which featured a guest appearance from Tech N9ne.[21] On December 16, 2016, Mac and Brains McCloud released the single "Supersonic" under OBV Records. The song previewed Brains' second studio album Dark Matter.
In March 2017, Mac kickstarted a YouTube series called "Mac Lethal Raps About Strangers". In the series, random strangers email Mac a rap they've about a certain topic and Mac revises it and upload a video of him performing the rap. On June 9, Mac uploaded a video called "27 Styles of Rapping". In the video, he impersonated twenty-seven different genres and styles in hip hop. It reached around 19.7 million views. On March 16, 2018, Mac launching the mini-series "Insane Rap Challenges". He uploaded two volumes between March and June 2018.
On June 21, 2018, Mac released the single "Turning into My Father". The song addressed parents' concern on their children's angry choice of hip hop music. Each verse switched to an older generation. The song was also written as a tribute to deceased rappers XXXTentacion and 2Pac Shakur. On November 16, he and Forever M.C. released the single "Lethal". The song featured a guest appearance from hip hop group ¡Mayday!. On December 10, Mac released the single "I Tried to Kill Myself". On February 9, 2019, he uploaded the video "Rapping 1000 Words in 2 Minutes!!!". In the video, Mac set a world record and gained 3.7 million views. On June 5, 2019, Mac released a diss track directed towards Tom Macdonald called "Single White Female". On July 12, Mac released the single "Mac Lethal Sucks, Pt. 2". Despite rumors Mac was trying to revive his feud with Tom Macdonald, Mac dismissed them and claimed that the track was just a revamp from his summer vacation. The single received mixed reviews and aquired 639 thousand views on YouTube.
Personal life[edit]
Ancestry and family[edit]
Sheldon has a mixed ethnical background but is primarily of Irish descent. In 2013, Sheldon had a son; he named him Rockwell Carlin "Rocky" Sheldon. He also has a daughter by the name of Maple.
Fueds, controversies, and legal issues[edit]
Double-meaning rap backlash[edit]
On January 11, 2017, Mac uploaded a video where he performed a rap verse forwards and backwards and displayed two different, opposite meaning. When Mac rapping it forwards, the verse praised Donald Trump's presidency and ambitions to build a border wall alongside Mexico while the backwards verse bashed Trump and exploited a liberal point of view. The video received major backlash from his fans and critics with people claiming he was either a racist or a libtard. Mac apologized for the message stating:
I'm getting equal messages asking me why I'm racist vs asking me why I'm a "Libtard". I'm neither. I'm far from a racist, and I'm far from a[n] SJW. I'm somewhere in the middle, and never talk about my views. I apologize. The idea of the song was to rap something forwards and backwards, and have it mean two different things both ways. It was supposed to be fun, but it apparently struck a chord with people.
Mumble rap and Jake Paul diss[edit]
On January 4, 2018, Mac released the diss track "Blazing Hot Fast Rap" which was directed towards new-generation hip hop and viral internet personality and YouTube rapper Jake Paul. The diss track gained around 2.4 million views and 121 thousand likes on YouTube.
Joe Rogan diss[edit]
On July 1, 2018, Mac jokingly released a diss track directed towards Joe Rogan after he claiming Lethal's music was confusing and impossible to sing along to. The track was called "Insane Fast Rap" and acquired one million views and 49 thousand likes on YouTube.
Tom Macdonald fued[edit]
On May 29, 2019, Mac tweeted:
This white dude who raps about how white dudes are super oppressed is GAAAAAAARBAGE.
I don't know his name. Not gonna learn it. His bars are fucking awful and he can shove his entire low-rent aesthetic up his ass.
Mac received immediate backlash from Tom's fans and the two rappers began tweeting back and forth in argument. On June 1, Macdonald dropped the diss track "Lethal Injection" directed towards Mac. Mac responded on June 5 with his diss "Single White Female" which acquired 1.1 million views on YouTube. Mac confirmed that he wouldn't respond if Tom released another diss on him and tweeted:
I will not respond to, or create, a round 2. Let's move on and spend our energy on creating shit we actually care about.
Good luck.
Tom Macdonald released another diss on Mac, "Mac Lethal Sucks", on June 7. On July 12, Mac released "Mac Lethal Sucks, Pt. 2". He dismissed rumors of reviving the fued.
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Men Are from Mars, Pornstars Are from Earth |
|
| 11:11 |
|
| Irish Goodbye |
|
| Postcards from Kansas City |
|
| Congratulations |
|
Mixtapes[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Love Potion Collection |
|
| The Love Potion Collection 2 |
|
| The Love Potion Collection 3 |
|
| The Love Potion Collection 4 |
|
| The Crown Prime Rib Mixtape |
|
| The Love Potion Collection 5 |
|
| The Love Potion Collection 6 |
|
| North Korean BBQ |
|
| Blood in the Water |
|
| The Love Potion Collection 7 |
|
Extended plays[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Moon Thinker |
|
| Nine Situations |
|
| Women of Scribble Jam (with Murs) |
|
| Daytrotter Session |
|
| Digital Love Potion |
|
| Fast as Hell Though |
|
Singles[edit]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Sun Storm" | 2008 | 11:11 |
| "Undertow" | 2009 | The Love Potion Collection 5 |
| "Lookin Bro" | non-album single | |
| "Nerdy White Kid Kills Look At Me Now" | 2011 | |
| "You're vs. Your" | 2012 | |
| "How to Make Your Own Chick-Fil-A" | ||
| "Beatbox + iPhone + Guitar + Fast Rap = Win" | ||
| "Alphabet Insanity" | 2014 | |
| "Incredible Mozart Rap" | ||
| "Kansas City Royals Insanity Rap" | 2015 | |
| "Supersonic" (with Brains McCloud) |
2016 | Dark Matter |
| "Turning into My Father" | 2018 | non-album single |
| "Lethal" (with Forever M.C. & ¡Mayday!) | ||
| "I Tried to Kill Myself" | ||
| "Rapping 1000 Words in 2 Minutes" | 2019 | |
| "Single White Female" | ||
| "Mac Lethal Sucks, Pt. 2" | If Things Go As Planned |
Books[edit]
- Texts from Bennett: A Novel (2013) ISBN 978-1-4767-0687-0 Search this book on
.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Harper, Jason (November 7, 2005). "Lethal Attraction". The Pitch. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ↑ Chester, Britt (November 21, 2010). "Mac Lethal at the Marquis". Westword. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ Koch, Kyle (November 23, 2010). "Mac Lethal". The Pitch. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rohla, Bill (2009). "The Future of Midwest Hip Hop". High Plains Reader. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ Harper, Jason (November 3, 2009). "Mac Lethal calls for local songs to play on Black Clover Radio". The Pitch. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ Quinlan, Thomas (August 1, 2002). "Mac Lethal - Men Are From Mars, Pornstars Are From Earth". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ Paulson, Jen (May 7, 2008). "Critics' Picks: Mac Lethal and more". City Pages. Archived from the original on June 10, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Fuck Clear Channel Tour". The Wake Student Magazine. March 31, 2004. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ McGarvey, Evan (November 19, 2007). "Mac Lethal: 11:11". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ Hakes, Tyler (September 28, 2011). "Staying Independent: Mac Lethal Turns Down a Record Deal (page 1 of 2)". aboveGround Magazine. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ Schutte, Lauren (December 1, 2011). "Rap Cover of Chris Brown's 'Look At Me Now' Becomes Overnight Internet Sensation (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 11, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Pancake rapper Mac Lethal on romantic cheesecake, BBQ and the second best cuisine on Earth". CNN. December 5, 2011. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
- ↑ Crum, Haley (December 2, 2011). "Rapper Mac Lethal on "Texts From Bennett" Tumblr, rapping about pancakes and more". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ Bevan, David (December 26, 2011). "SPIN's 10 Most Contagiously Viral Musical Web Sensations of 2011". Spin. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ↑ Gase, Zach (April 3, 2012). "Mac Lethal :: Irish Goodbye :: Black Clover Records". RapReviews.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ↑ "Texts From Bennett: Mac Lethal Speaks About His Internet Sensations". The Huffington Post. December 2, 2011. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ Hagni, Jonna (August 8, 2013). "Coming soon — Texts from Bennett, A Novel". Vox Talk. Vox. Archived from the original on August 17, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ↑ Kangas, Chaz (September 5, 2013). "Mac Lethal Brings Texts From Bennett to Bookshelves". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ↑ Malinsky, Gili (February 24, 2016). "We're About To See A Whole Lot More Charlamagne And Mac Lethal". MTV. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ↑ Gensler, Howard (March 30, 2016). "Philadelphia drunks show how smart they are on MTV2's new 'Binge Thinking'". Philly.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ↑ Bradley, Brent (September 7, 2016). "Holy Sh*t You Need To Hear Mac Lethal's "Angel Of Death" with Tech N9ne". DJBooth. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
External links[edit]
- Lua error in Module:Official_website at line 90: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Mac Lethal on SoundCloud
- Mac Lethal discography at Discogs
- Musical artist
- SoundCloud template with no id set
- 1981 births
- American male rappers
- American hip hop record producers
- Rappers from Kansas City, Missouri
- Rhymesayers Entertainment artists
- Underground rappers
- American male songwriters
- Songwriters from Missouri
- Writers from Missouri
- American people of Irish descent
- American radio personalities
- Radio personalities from Kansas City, Missouri
- Midwest hip hop musicians
- Record producers from Missouri
- American male bloggers
- American bloggers
- 21st-century American rappers
- 21st-century male musicians
