Clay Mack: I’m the money macking murderous mother**ing ni**a you ever seen who keeps the trap pumping, Clay Mack that’s me, rapper, pimp, hustler and all that. It’s kind of ironic how I was born; see I was born in Tennessee, my daddy from Memphis and my mama’s from Atlanta – I got something from the streets from all three of those locations. I got my first experience in the music business during the Freak Nick of 1994 which had me all mesmerized and at that time there was a movement going on in Atlanta where everyone was trying to get the rock which New York had at the time. This is the time when we first got our heavy hitters who are still in the game like Ludacris and so on. The underground scene was just starting out, this is the time I stepped on the scene and I started fu**ing with Too Short, Eric Sermon, Lisa Left Eye, and Field amongst others doing promotion and booking. They would come to me to promote their artists so I would book them for shows – let me remind you I was just a little youngster throwing big ticket shows. To be honest I really was just hustling and I remember they kept telling me to stay focused with this music and how I should leaving hustling alone to do the music full time. At the time I was just doing the music thing because everyone else was doing it trying to fit in until I started to make a living off of it. For the record you’re boy never had a job and the only thing these hands were good at was playing the piano, nah mean? From booking parties for these artists throughout Atlanta I kind of fell back when Left Eye passed away as it left me scarred because through helping her promote I had gotten to know here really well and we became close. As I fell back from the promotions it made me want to grab the mic and eventually I did and just ran with it and started the Clay Mack, “Cash no Credit” movement. While trying to promote my own movement I was traveling all around the United States just hustling the CD’s as my homies in Atlanta told me to do until I ended up in the Tennessee Greyhound bus station. I just want to thank myself for all the blood, sweat, and tears I had to put in and to my little ni**as who gave me motivation and momentum and that’s what I do this for.
Talk about you’re transition from the streets from making fast money to selling you’re CD’s which can bring the same money but requires work because you really have to sell yourself before selling the product. What kept you motivated?
The transition was really easy because I already knew everyone and they really embraced me. It was an easy transition because I was good at making street money. I kissed the ground of Atlanta, East side, West side, East Lake Meadow’s, Dixie Hill, Lee Street, White Street, Jam Session Building, Immortal Tattoo and so on. I was making good street money but when I went to jail the last time my bond was $200,000 no 10% which forced me to realize for the first time in my life that I didn’t have a lot of money and the money I did have I lost it. With that said I want the people reading this to know that regardless of how good you are at getting your money it can easily be taken away from you. I was hit with countless indictments everything else came and hit me at once and the only thing that did catch my attention was what I was doing. When I was incarcerated I read the book of James and the Bible and it taught me about having Faith so when I got out in the streets I had nothing but my faith. All I wanted was a snowball cone and a studio and from there I dropped my CD. From that moment on all I had was my faith and I never turned back to what got me incarcerated in the first place.
Everyone knows Atlanta now for producing hits and star caliber artists but tell the reader’s about Atlanta when it was still trying to get to the point where it’s at now.
It was crazy then and it’s crazy now. What I realized a long time ago was since I’m an APS graduate meaning I’m a self educated black male that education is cool because in the music business we face a lot of struggles because so many people are trying to do it and those same struggles are what keep a lot of people down. I’ve seen a lot of people living on the street so they migrate to Atlanta to get a deal but theirs not enough money for everyone to get a deal so now you have people sleeping on the street going to the club at night to rock the mic and then not having anywhere sleep afterwards. I can’t imagine a broke or homeless rapper because all the rappers I knew were doing it for the money. I couldn’t look down on those people because I felt for them because of the sacrifices they were making for following their dream that’s not guaranteed for everyone. By seeing this I learned that you’re dream is what you make it and you’re retirement is what you set out to make it be. Making even a crumb off of this music business should be considered a blessing because it’s real out here on these streets.
Tell the reader’s who Clay Mack is and how you got the name?
Clay Mack was a neighborhood name and since I’m from Atlanta you know I keep plenty of alias’s such as Mr. Cash No Credit, aka Mr. Skitzolunatic, and Clay Mack was a name I got from the inner city projects of East Lake Meadow’s. I gave myself the name because I didn’t want rap to hit me as being a job because at the end of the day that’s what it is. People expect you to act like the things you rap about 24 hours a day which I do agree with but at the end of the day it’s still a job and I don’t want to mislead our little G’s and our little princess’s by having them think music over powers our life. At the end of the day when you’re not performing you still go home to cook and clean.
Speak on you’re style of music and explain to the reader’s what you’re trying to do with it?
I make hustling music. There are a lot of different styles; a lot of different swags and so on along with a lot of copycats but you can’t be me because I don’t tongue wrestle. I write this hustle music because me being an artist or entertainer is no different than being a prize fighter cause a lot of people look up to you. I do this for the little kids who like the Jay’s, the old school cars with the systems, who like to see someone with money and just someone living the player lifestyle. I want them to know they can have that easily by being true to yourself. I write hustle music because I’ve seen it and I can identify it and the music is reality. It’s not dance music even though I might have a few popping pimping tracks and the music I make is something that’s not here today and gone tomorrow. I’m raising half of these kids off of my music. When comparing my music it’s diversified and my mentors were people like Mr. Mike, Face, and Playa’s Circle to name a few so my music is hustle reality hustle music.
Talk about you’re single “I Hit Em Up”.
“I Hit Em Up” is 16 years in the making summed up in a little over 4 minutes. It speaks about all the good and bad times I been through in the game and it’s letting the listener’s know I found my niche and my lane. Sometime’s it takes a person their whole lifetime to find their path so the song is full of experiences I’ve been through. It let’s people know you can get you’re money from the game without even hitting the mainstream like Too Short and many others as long as you find what works for you.
You got the CD “Debo for the C-Note” so let’s talk about the concepts, features and production on the CD.
My ni**a Tido did the “You Can’t Beat Me”, he got down on that right there cause it was really hot. There’s a lot of cats who try to mimic and steal you’re swag trying to catch you in awkward places where they seen you shining cause you’re just living everyday getting you’re money. Those same people use how you act and bring it into their own life basically stealing you’re ideas. People fail to realize their can only be one person and no one can do what another person does as well as that person. With that said there can only be one Clay Mack and there’s only one ni**a who can walk up in the club have all the h*’s in the two’s and three’s and then walk up out the door with the party. I’m that ni**a. I got other tracks like “I’m that Ni**a”, “You Can’t Be Me”, “Geeked Up”, “Be Tough Part 1” which is telling the listener if you get you’re chance then take advantage of it because if you don’t there’s no telling when you’ll get another one. Then there’s the other track “Don’t Start this Shi*” which is for the sucka rappers who swear their hard and really want some lyrics to challenge their style. The whole “Debo for the C-Note” mix tape is based off the Nicholas Cage “Lord of War” movie with the main message of not being a guns dealer and end up being shot from your own pistol when you’re out here selling guns. So through my CD I’m just giving all these sucka MC’s a fair warning who got nice writings but at the end of the day their still misleading the streets. I spit a rhyme about it where I rapped “Put me in the ring with him / bet you I’ll finish his a** / some of these ni**as rapping / ain’t as real as the media saying. That’s Debo for the C-Note, I’ll beat you’re a** ni**a so give me the mic and you might not get it back. In the past I’ve met a lot of headlining artists but I figured on this CD I didn’t need their help cause if you’re really gonna ride on a ni**a you don’t need to be contemplating on it. With that said this CD is all me and a few feature’s from a lot of new up and coming artists leaving out all the commercial artists so we can get down to business.
Talk about some of you’re other projects you previously released and touch on you’re upcoming projects you’re working on now.
Before “Debo for the C-Note” I released two CD’s like “Back to Business” where I was sitting on the city of Atlanta for the cover and I’m taking over the city so I’m coming back to get mine once I get my money right. After that I had the “Money, Sex, and Drugs” so I have material out there and for all the updates on what I’m doing, working on or have coming out make sure you check out www.ourstage.com/claymack. That site there has all of the Clay Mack exclusives before I even get a chance to put them out along with all the backgrounds, ringtones, video footage and anything else that’s exclusive for my fans and supporters. Besides putting out music I also have Curbside Service which is part of my marketing and distribution services I offer. I’m the C.E.O. of the company and our main location is inside the Greyhound bus station Chattanooga, Tennessee. I have other stores in Atlanta, Chicago, and I’m currently working on getting a store in Miami so we have multiple outlets and more on the way. Also stay on the look out for a tour I’m putting together called “Dangerous MC’s” showcasing up-in-coming artists featuring some of the nicest lyricists. I’m all about helping other unsigned artists any way that I can trying to put some food on their plate and with this tour we’ll be in 11 major cities throughout Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Detroit, Tennessee and everywhere in between the Greyhound bus goes on I75 North and South. Even with all that going on I always manage to release new material so stay on the look out for my soon to be released mix CD “Sexcapades Volume 1” which will be a mix of both old and new tracks.
Let’s go back to when you were speaking about you’re company Curbside Service where you help distribute unsigned artists music cause it’s different to hear from an unsigned artist himself. Explain to the reader’s how you got started and how you plan on expanding you’re company in the future.
First of all Curbside Service is a marketing and distributing company independently owned by myself operated mainly out of the Greyhound bus station in Tennessee where we get over 17,000 travelers from all over the country traveling through a month so if you want work I got that work. Through the company I’m able to crank artists in 11 different states and through 90 plus outlets. We accept all independent artists as long you’re legit with your business and I’m not biased as an artist against any artist looking for a little help. I’ve been cranking it with Greyhound now for a little over three years and on the business tip it’s really challenging. Curbside Service was started in 1996 but it wasn’t until 2003 when I started going strong. You can really want to do something but if you don’t give it 110 busting a sweat then it’s really not worth it because eventually you’re idea will pop in someone else’s head.
So artist’s looking to get in contact with you to discuss possibilities of you helping their career’s what would be the best way for them to reach you’re company? company? The best way would be by phone cause we stay in the store so contact Carmen Tenard 1-423-892-3780 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. There’s always someone who can help you who’s available to speak so make that call now. You can also check us on www.myspace.com/curbsideservicemuzik , www.twitter.com/curbsideservicemuzik and if you need to shoot me some music in a rush then send it to
feeedmygreedyazzmuzik@hotmail.com or carmentenard@gmail.com.
For the people not familiar with the music scene here down south tell them what it’s like.
It’s good right now and finally a ni**a can say he done made some money off his music and go home at the end of the day with lumps and mothballs bulging out his pocket cause the 90’s was a bunch of bullshi*. During the 90’s a lot of people got discouraged to the point where they switched from rapping to doing promotion like I did but I’m fortunate I was able to make the transition back to what I’m suppose to be doing. It was hard for an artist to survive back then but it’s good right now cause a lot of young guys are able to get in the game and set new standards going platinum off of ringtones and what not. You can finally sell records without the need of a major distributor. I started during the 90’s movement and the experience is something I respect and now I’m just trying to do what Big Oomp was doing in Atlanta here in Tennessee by unifying the rap market. I like the term rap market cause it covers all genres of rap. It’s real out here R.I.P. to my man Pinty Woods from Tennessee he finally got on as he did a song with Lil Wayne and the Game bout to get his shot when they ran up in his house, they had him duck taped and just blew his head off. In the south you have a lot of competition at the shows and through the mixtapes and sometimes it just gets real out here so you need to be on top of you’re game. At the end of the day I’m in my own cash register.
After the interview what do you want the reader’s to know about you? What I’d like the reader’s to know about me is stay looking forward to more material from Clay Mack cause I’m here and I’m giving you entertainment. I’m trying to take it back to when Uncle Luke was doing it in the 90’s with this music. Fair warning to these sucka MC’s out here, you better off not giving me the mic cause I’m not giving it back. Look forward to my single “I Hit Em Up” as well as the video for that single. I’m here doing it everyday and after me I got a squad coming after me like lovely and so on. I’m trying to do it like Master P and there’s only one of me cause I’m working 24/7 pumping overtime at the Greyhound bus station. If you don’t have any of my music makes sure you go cop it even if you get the bootleg just as long as you get it. Show me love when you see me too. Oh yeah, I need distribution at a great price cause whatever you need I got it.
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