China Mac
China Mac | |
|---|---|
| Born | Raymond Yu February 5, 1981 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2013–present |
Raymond Yu (born February 5, 1981),[1][2] known professionally as China Mac, is an American rapper, entertainer, activist, and former gang member.[3][4]
Early years
[edit]Yu was born and raised in Brooklyn to Chinese immigrants, from Hong Kong.[3][5] He moved into a group home at the age of 8.[6] Yu joined the Ghost Shadows gang when he was 12.[3] In his teenage years, he would partake in freestyle rap battles with other kids at the juvenile detention center.[3]
Career
[edit]2000–2013: Incarceration
[edit]At the age of 18, Mac was sentenced to three years in prison for gang related crimes in 2000.[3]
On November 9, 2003, Mac was involved in an altercation with MC Jin at a bar in Chinatown, Manhattan, where he shot Jin's acquaintance, rapper Christopher "LS" Louie, in the back.[7][8] Mac later went on the run for over a year and was apprehended in Seattle, Washington when he tried to leave the country with a fake passport.[3] In prison, he was nicknamed "China Mac" by the Mac Ballers gang. He was released on parole in November 2013 and founded the Red Money Records record label and a pet store with the money he saved up while in prison.[3][7][6]
2014–present: Music production and activism
[edit]Mac returned to prison for an accused parole violation and was later released in 2017.[7] Since then, he has uploaded video content, including the food show Mac Eats, onto his YouTube channel, China Mac TV.[4]
Mac released his album MITM in 2017.[9][10]
In 2018, Mac was a prominent critic of Lil Pump's single "Butterfly Doors", which used the pejorative ching chong slur.[4][11]
In 2019, he released the dual EP, Yin and Yang.[12] That same year, Mac released a Chinese/Spanish record with Tali Goya.[4]
In July 2020, amidst the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, an 89-year-old Chinese grandmother was assaulted and set on fire in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.[13][14] Mac and actor Will Lex Ham organized a march in that neighborhood on August 1, 2020 as a response to raise awareness about anti-Asian hate crimes.[14] The "They Can't Burn Us All" rallying cry transformed into a national protest for "unity amongst all people against hate crimes and racism."[15] The duo later held rallies in both Los Angeles and San Francisco.[16] The events had hundreds of attendees.[14][15] China Mac's activism led him to release the single "They Can't Burn Us All" on October 30, 2020.[17][better source needed]
Personal life
[edit]His father was a part of the Chinese-American gang, Flying Dragons, that was active in the 1980s.[3]
See also
[edit]- Stop Asian Hate—a series of demonstrations, protests, and rallies against violence targeting Asians and Asian Americans in 2021
References
[edit]- ^ Vyas, Karishma. "Ex-prisoner-turned-rapper fights for justice for Asian Americans". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ Mac, China (February 5, 2020). "Blessed to see another year Birthday cakeFolded hands. Gift me by Pre Saving THE ARRIVAL". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Editorial Staff, Editorial Staff (2018-04-15). "Meet an Ex-Member of One of the Most Violent Chinese-American Gangs in the U.S." NextShark. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ a b c d Leutz, Ryan (June 10, 2019). "China Mac talks to Plugged Soundz about his Lil Pump Beef, career after prison, and his skincare regimen. | Plugged Soundz". Plugged Soundz. Archived from the original on 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ China Mac Explains How to Smuggle Sneakers Into Prison (Video). Full Size Run. Sole Collector. June 27, 2019.
- ^ a b Vicino, Stephen (2014-11-17). "Exclusive Interview with China Mac". Music Existence. Archived from the original on 2014-12-30. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ a b c Druzkowski, Piotr (2019-06-25). "China Mac sits down for a talk with MC Jin 15 years after NYC shooting". SR-MAG.COM. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ Riley, Wallace (2019-06-22). "Jin & China Mac Reconcile 15 Years After China Mac Shot Jin's Friend". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 2019-06-23. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "M.I.T.M, by CHINA MAC". CHINA MAC. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
- ^ Santi, Christina (November 21, 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: China Mac on Chinese Mafia, Shooting Jin's Friend, Prison Time (Full Interview)". www.vladtv.com. Archived from the original on 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
- ^ Casino, Khier (2018-12-18). "China Mac Puts Lil Pump on Instagram Blast for Mocking Asians in New Video". NextShark. Archived from the original on 2018-12-18. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ Todd, Jessica (August 28, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: China Mac: I was in a Maximum Security Prison for 10 Years, I Suppressed a Lot". www.vladtv.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
- ^ Kim, CeFaan (July 24, 2020). "Exclusive: 89-year-old woman who was attacked, set on fire in Brooklyn speaks out". WABC New York. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
- ^ a b c "Rapper China Mac: 'Who Will Stand with Us If We Don't Stand Up for Ourselves?'". PEOPLE.com. August 31, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ a b Chen, Maina (September 10, 2020). "#TheyCantBurnUsAll Movement Makes Its Way to Los Angeles and San Francisco". NextShark. Archived from the original on 2020-09-10. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ Yu, Betty (September 26, 2020). "'They Can't Burn Us All' Anti-Racism Movement Heads To San Francisco". sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com. CBS. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ Bit, Lillian (October 31, 2020). "Bad Ass Asians: China Mac releases first single: They Can't Burn Us All". AsAmNews. Retrieved 2020-10-31.