Hassaan Mackey
Rochester, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2005 | INDIE
Music
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Low Budget representatives Kev Brown and Hassaan Mackey join forces yet again in the split video for “Dope”/”Hassaan Be Rapping” directed by Jimmy Giambrone. The video comes ahead of their joint That Grit LP, which is slated to arrive November 4th via Ill Adrenaline Records. The District and the Empire State connect to deliver a clinic in spitting that finds Hassaan dropping nuff bars over Kev Brown’s characteristically tough production. The Kaimbr assisted single “Dope” swings while “Hassaan Be Rapping” is a Shaolin inspired track built to start fires. The duo recently dropped the clip with a note on the impending compilation:What do you think?
Recorded during a series of impromptu bus and train trips Hassaan took from Rochester to visit Kev in Washington, “That Grit” was created with a spontaneous approach, reflecting both Mackey’s freestyle background and Brown’s proven “random joints” formula. Entirely produced by Kev Brown and featuring his signature bassline-driven and raw but soulful sound, “That Grit” consists of an intro, eight full-length tracks and six instrumentals. Hassaan and Kev share mic duties on most of the songs, inviting close friends/frequent collaborators Kaimbr, Toine, yU, Kenn Starr, Eye-Q, Asheru (of Unspoken Heard) as well as the Younger Soul Brother Grap Luva along as feature guests, turning the record into a true family affair. - Karaslamb
Discography
2004 - On the Fly (EP)
2006 - The Everything Mixtape (Mixtape)
2006 - Soul for Sale (Full Length Album) (Rawkus)
2007-2009 "Joints I'm On" 1 & 2 (Mixtapes)
2010 - Alone in the City ft. Emilio Rojas (Single)
2011 - How we Live ft. The Left (Single)
2011 - MoodRing (Single)
2011 - Genisis ft. ISHE' (Single)
2011 - BROOKLYN (Roys Theme) (SIngle)
2011 - Daily Bread (Full Length Album) (Mello Music Group)
2012 - Bullsh*t ft. Sean Born (Single)
2012 - 3rd (Single)
2012 - Black Returns (Single)
2012 - MackRocks! (Full Length Production Album)
2013 - The Vibe ft. Oddisee of Diamond District by The Audible Doctor (Single)
2013 - Work It Out ft. Kaimbr, Sean Born (Single)
2013 - Numb Again ft. yU of Diamond District (Single)
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Bio
With a deep reverence for the history and culture of East Coast hip hop and a penchant for smooth soul, Hassaan Mackey's reputation stems from dues paid long before most of his peers even considered picking up a mic. Gaining acclaim as a freestyler and battle rapper from his early teens, the Rochester, New York MC became one of the most prominent faces of his hometown's hip hop scene, hosting performances throughout the city and even sharing the stage with Common during a tour stop. Using a technique honed during his years as a battle MC to deliver deeply personal rhymes reflecting the settings and circumstances of his upbringing, Mackey's introspective narratives delve deep into the soul of a product of hip hop's golden era.
Hassaan's services were soon sought after by numerous artists for his lyrical versatility, and he garnered international attention through a series of collaborations in the early 2000s. 'I'd feature on a joint or we'd do a joint together and things started to happen for me from there," he recalls. Sessions with frequent collaborator Emilio Rojas led to Mackey's laying down tracks with such esteemed producers as New Jersey'sIllmind, Canada's Muneshine, and Australia's M-Phazes, and by 2008 he had appeared on tracks with Kenn Starr,Supastition, Oddisee, Planet Asia, and Kev Brown. Hassaan is also a member of the celebrated Low Budget Collective, a D.C.-founded assembly including Oddisee, Kenn Starr, KevBrown, Peter Rosenberg, and Kaimbr among others.
An artistic breakthrough occurred in 2007, when he was selected as one of the infamous Rawkus 50 in the historiclabel's project to digitally market new records by 'the next 50 important hip hop artists." His debut 'Soul for Sale" saw light alongside albums by such luminaries as Finale, Bekay, Dynas, Grand Agent, Kaze, and the Regiment. 'Soul for Sale" served to further widen Hassaan's audience with its soulful, low-key production and meticulously penned verses.
Citing his musical inspiration, Hassaan confesses, 'I've lost more than most folks ever do and never once did I complain. I just took the pain and turned it into music." Having overcome a series of personal losses, his heavyhearted delivery carries anguish yet also the hope and optimism of one determined to succeed: 'If you like double-fisted, mic-gripping, ass-kicking potent lyrics straight from the depths of the motherf*cking soul,then you are ready for the Mack attack!" Hassaan laughs.
Having worked with multiple artists among the Mello Music Group stable, Hassaan appeared on The Left's 'Gas Mask" LP in 2010, a critically lauded collaboration between Detroit artists Apollo Brown, Journalist 103, and DJ Soko. The track 'How We Live" sowed the seeds for a full-length MMG collaboration with Apollo Brown titled 'Daily Bread' available now on itunes.
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