I remember a time when every up and coming rapper wanted a Sean Mac mixtape, especially after he appeared DJing on BET’s Rap City. A lot has changed since then. While Mac still serves up a steady supply of mixtapes, BET’s Rap City is no more. Even if the show was still around, it would be just one place you could see Mac these days, as he’s been able to grow with the musical trends and get himself out of any previously placed boxes. His blog, The Macnificent Mile, is a strip full of swagged out style, and his parties rock with the best of them. In this addition of Record Collection, we get to know one of the Chi illest DJ’s, the one and only Sean Mac. He drops some gems. Read carefully.
RubyHornet: It seems like you’ve been a part of Chicago Hip Hop forever. When did you start DJing? What influenced you to start?
Sean Mac: I’m gonna keep these answers very simple, short, and to the point! The movie “JUICE”. Nobody was Colder than “Q” from DJing to Sneaks! He was my inspiration.
RubyHornet: You were one of the first DJ’s from Chicago to really get on BET, spinning on the Basement, and national events like that. How did you break out? How big were those things for your career?
Sean Mac: Well, sending them press kit after press kit, basically staying on top of my game as far as marketing my brand goes. That move was big for me because it simply opened up more doors that wouldn’t open… Being on BET 12 times helped & showed me a lot!
RubyHornet: I remember at one point a Sean Mac mixtape was like a rite of passage for a certain type of emcee. Would you agree with that? What did a Sean Mac Mixtape mean?
Sean Mac: Man… It was what you needed to do to get heard. At that time in the Midwest you had V-Dub, Mike Love, G-spot & a few others but I was inspired by Whoo kid, Clue, Kay Slay & more to take it to a Hard Core level… Chicago’s mixtape circuit was rising & still is. I was just proud to be apart of that Evolution ya know.
RubyHornet: I don’t see as many mixtapes from you these days. Are you still doing them, and if not, what influenced that shift?
Sean Mac: Lol, yeah I still do’em, but soon I’m about to bust out w/ a few heavy tapes… See, today I work smarter and not harder. In this game you have to be smart or you will burn yourself out. I have a few projects dropping like The Mac Chronicles 2, Luxury Trap Music, Sean Mac x Curtains, and Me & Freddie Gibbs got something cooking. I used to drop randomly, but today I’m trying to do things that count.
RubyHornet: I remember seeing something on Twitter, I think Hustle Simmons said it, something like “this is not the same Sean Mac from 5 years ago, people change.” And he was talking about people accepting you as you are now. My question is, what is the old Sean Mac vs. The Sean Mac we see today? Did you consciously undergo re-branding efforts?
Sean Mac: Absolutely, like Kanye said, “wash the Brain, don’t brain wash.” Reinventing myself, I’m creating a completely new stigma, something more Tastemaker and following the things I love and I’m good at. That’s from fashion to skateboarding and more. People only got a glimpse of who I really am. And trust me, through the things I’m projecting, everyone will soon see what I’m truly on.