Mac Lethal

Mac Lethal
Birth nameDavid McCleary Sheldon[1]
Also known asUncle Mac[2]
Born (1981-07-25) July 25, 1981 (age 43)[1]
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.[1]
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • producer
  • songwriter
  • radio host
  • author
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • sampler
  • keyboards
Years active2001–present
Labels
Websitemaclethal.merchcentral.com

David McCleary Sheldon (born July 25, 1981), known professionally as Mac Lethal, is an American rapper, songwriter and author from Kansas City, Missouri.[1][3] He is the founder of Black Clover Records and formerly a radio host on KRBZ 96.5 the Buzz show, Black Clover Radio.[4][5]

Career

Mac Lethal released his debut studio album, Men Are from Mars, Pornstars Are from Earth, on HHI Recordings in 2002.[6] In that year, he won the Scribble Jam rap battle.[7] Sage Francis took him on the Fuck Clear Channel Tour in 2004.[8]

In 2006, Mac Lethal founded Black Clover Records with longtime friend Jeremy Willis, who had been running the Datura Label.[4] In 2007, he released a studio album, 11:11, on Rhymesayers Entertainment.[9]

In 2011, he was offered a contract from Sony which he rejected, referring to the $250,000, 5 album, 2 option and one milestone option deal as "insane".[10]

On November 30, 2011, Mac Lethal posted 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 got millions of views in a matter of days, leading to interviews on websites like CNN and The Washington Post.[12][13] It was included on Spin's "10 Most Contagiously Viral Musical Web Sensations of 2011" list.[14] In that year, he also released a studio album, Irish Goodbye, on Black Clover Records.[15]

Mac Lethal also runs 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 on Simon & Schuster in 2013.[17][18]

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]

Before the Chiefs' victory in Super Bowl LIV, he released a song titled "Kansas Chiefs Anthem 2020". In the song he references multiple Chiefs players from that season.

Discography

Main article: Mac Lethal discography

Books

  • Texts from Bennett: A Novel (2013) ISBN 978-1-4767-0687-0

References

  1. ^ a b c d Harper, Jason (November 7, 2005). "Lethal Attraction". The Pitch. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  2. ^ Chester, Britt (November 21, 2010). "Mac Lethal at the Marquis". Westword. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  3. ^ Koch, Kyle (November 23, 2010). "Mac Lethal". The Pitch. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Rohla, Bill (2009). "The Future of Midwest Hip Hop". High Plains Reader. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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 December 26, 2019.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Fuck Clear Channel Tour". The Wake Student Magazine. March 31, 2004. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  9. ^ McGarvey, Evan (November 19, 2007). "Mac Lethal: 11:11". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.