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Harry Mack
Birth nameHarry McKenzie
Born (1990-02-17) February 17, 1990 (age 34)
Portland, Oregon
EducationUSC Thornton School of Music
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • producer
  • drummer
  • songwriter
Years active2002-present
Labels
  • Mush Man LLC (from 2019)
  • Independent (until 2019)
Formerly ofState of Mind
Websitewww.harrymackofficial.com

Harry McKenzie, commonly known as Harry Mack, is an American rapper, producer, drummer, and YouTuber from Portland, Oregon known for his viral freestyles done in public. He has a large social media following, with millions of followers on multiple platforms. His most popular series include Guerrilla Bars, where he raps on the streets, and Omegle Bars, where he raps virtually on the online chat service Omegle.[1] Aside from freestyling, he has also released a full-length album, Contents Under Pressure.

Early life[edit]

Harry McKenzie was born on February 17, 1990, in Portland, Oregon.[2][3] He already had a background in music, as he began playing the violin at seven and started playing the drums in fourth or fifth grade. His older sister introduced him to hip hop via the radio Jammin' 95.5. Mack began rapping in sixth grade, at 12, with his friend Brady B, an aspiring DJ. They formed a group called State of Mind and released an album when they were in middle school. Mack went by the alias MC Wundur at this time.[4]

The group continued making music into high school and added two more members: Elan, an MC known as Mighty Misc, and Jack Baars, a DJ and producer known as DJ Malfunktion. They began to take it more seriously starting in their sophomore year and booked venues to perform at and sold CDs. Originally from Portland, Mack moved to California in 2008 to major in Jazz Studies at the USC Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, as at the time he wanted to become a jazz drummer. He enjoyed the improvisational aspect of jazz and began to practice freestyling to work on his ability to do so. His roommates would test him on his freestyling every night.[5] He graduated in 2012.[1][4]

Career[edit]

In 2016, one of Mack's friends, Jacob Mann, a jazz pianist and composer, needed some promotion for his recently released album, so Mann asked Mack to freestyle on a remixed jazz beat he had made. Mann recorded Mack freestyling in a car, remarking at the changing scenery, and uploaded it to YouTube, which later went viral, making it his first breakthrough.[1] Meanwhile, Mack's college roommates eventually made him start practicing in public, in places such as Venice Beach. He uploaded a video of one of his sessions in February 2017 titled "Venice Beach Freestyle (Part 1)", which reached nearly a million views within a few months, sprouting him into the mainstream.[5] He had only just started uploading videos and realized he had an audience for it.[1] In March, Mack freestyled on the Power 106 radio for fellow rapper Joey Bada$$, who threw words out for Mack to implement into the freestyle, a common occurrence in Mack's work. This event was covered by XXL, which praised Mack for his lyrical abilities.[6] Mack came back onto Power 106 to freestyle for Kendrick Lamar in June,[7] Casey Veggies in July,[8] and Macklemore in September.[9] Also in September, he freestyled on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and also made a short film with Red Bull, touring them around Los Angeles.[5]

In June 2018, Mack partnered with Mitsubishi Motors to create Harry Mack Freestyle Test Drives, a marketing campaign where Mack freestyle about the features of the car a person was driving as they tested it out. United Talent Agency represented him and helped him make the deal.[10] Mack independently released his first album, Contents Under Pressure, on January 18, 2019.[11] He eventually signed to Mush Man LLC in August 2019. In December 2020, he interviewed Counter Strike: Global Offensive player n0thing and freestyled over his gameplay on Twitch.[12] He also teamed up with Marc Rebillet in May 2021.[13] In celebration of him reaching a million subscribers on YouTube, Mack freestyled for ten hours straight in June 2021.[14][15] In August, he participated in PogChamps 4.[16] Mack performed at the Shacknews E6 in 2022.[17] In this year, he also embarked on a tour to the United Kingdom.[18] For his 2023 U.S. tour, Odyssey, he was sponsored by Starbucks.[19] He had previously collaborated with the coffeehouse chain to host Reverse Roasts, where Mack performs freestyles to uplift people.[20] To promote the tour, he appeared on TNT and freestyled for the hosts of the show.[21][22] Mack helped promote the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem in 2023 by performing a themed freestyle for Seth Rogen and Ice Cube.[23] He did the same in 2024, this time promoting Bad Boys: Ride or Die with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.[24] He had previously performed at the The Streamer Awards 2024.[25]

Personal life[edit]

Mack supported the 2019 Los Angeles Unified School District teachers' strike in a freestyle on Power 106.[26]

Influences and style[edit]

Mack is mainly influenced by golden age hip hop artists, although he has also said that jazz rap and trap have influenced him a lot as well. He has named Kendrick Lamar, Rakim, Ashanti, Nelly, Roy Ayers, Big L, Gift of Gab, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., MF DOOM, Black Thought, Dr. Dre, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Gang Starr, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul influential to him.[27][28] Amongst freestylers, he names Supernatural, MC Juice, Eyedea, and Freestyle Fellowship as inspirations.[19]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Title Details
Contents Under Pressure

Extended plays[edit]

Title Details
Rap Coltrane
Soulilloquies
The Process

Singles[edit]

Title Year Album
"Proof" 2017 Non-album singles
"Not Ready"
"On Lock"
"Next Gear" 2019 Contents Under Pressure
"Napoleon Hill"
"90 Degrees" Non-album singles
"Day Zero"
"Cooking Up"
"2024" 2024
"It Goes Deep"
"I Ain't Gotta Worry"
"Iconoclast"
"Plan In Motion"
"Prove It To Myself"
"Get Away From Everything"
"Nikola Tesla"
"Minotaur"
"Treat It Like A Hobby"
"Back On Mine"
"Bet The House"
"Shift The Market"
"No Regard"
"On Like That"
"Everything I Do Amazing"
"WYGDN"
"Tired As Fuck"
"Not The Same"

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Ceremony Category Nominee / work Result Ref.
2021 11th Streamy Awards Best Collaboration Harry Mack and Marcus Veltri – Pianist & Freestyle Rapper BLOW MINDS on Omegle ft. Marcus Veltri Nominated [29]
Live Show Omegle Bars (Harry Mack) Nominated [29]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d McDonald, James (2020-11-16). "Harry Mack Discusses Why He Initially Kept His Freestyle Rapping A Secret". The Odyssey Online. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  2. ^ Page, Justin (2017-03-22). "Harry Mack Spits Hot Fire While Freestyle Rapping About Tourists on Hollywood Boulevard". Laughing Squid. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  3. ^ Mack, Harry (2018-02-17). "Facebook post by Harry Mack". Facebook. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  4. ^ a b "Meet Harry Mack - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". VoyageLA. 2019-11-12. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  5. ^ a b c Ferris, Glen (2017-09-27). "Explore Los Angeles with freestyle rapper Harry Mack". Red Bull. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  6. ^ Ivey, Justin (2017-03-22). "Joey Badass Fascinated by Freestyle Rapper Harry Mack - XXL". XXL. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  7. ^ "Unsigned Rapper, Harry Mack, Inspires Kendrick Lamar Through Freestyle Rap". Power 106 Los Angeles. 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  8. ^ "Casey Veggies & Harry Mack Talked 'Our Life Festival' + Freestyle On #TheCruzShow". Power 106 Los Angeles. 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  9. ^ "Harry Mack Freestyles With Macklemore On The Cruz Show!". Power 106 Los Angeles. 2017-09-28. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  10. ^ "Mitsubishi Motors Launches National Marketing Campaign Featuring Rap Artist Harry Mack's Freestyle Test Drives". Business Wire. 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  11. ^ Jessie, Faith (2019-11-07). "Sold Out Day N Vegas show leaves mark on Las Vegas music scene". KSNV. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  12. ^ Rawat, Aditya Singh (2020-12-19). "Rapper Freestyles to n0thing's CS:GO Gameplay on Twitch". AFK Gaming. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  13. ^ Bg, Reid (2021-05-24). "Watch Marc Rebillet & Freestyle Pro Harry Mack Combine Improv Forces for 2 Full Hours". This Song Is Sick. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  14. ^ Buchh, Ziad (2021-06-02). "Harry Mack Is Freestyle Rapping For 10 Hours Straight". North Country Public Radio. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  15. ^ Chen, Tanya (2022-06-15). "How YouTuber Harry Mack built an audience of 2M subscribers with freestyle rap and what he earns livestreaming". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  16. ^ "World's Greatest Freestyle Rapper Covers The World Chess Championship". Chess.com. 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  17. ^ Khan, Asif (2022-06-13). "Freestyle rapper Harry Mack joins Shacknews E6 2022 lineup with special live performance". Shacknews. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  18. ^ Dalling, Robert (2022-07-31). "TikTok star and freestyle rapper Harry Mack to perform in Swansea - Wales Online". Wales Online. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  19. ^ a b Brow, Jason (2023-02-17). "Harry Mack Explains How He Brews Up A Rap Style Blend Of 'Positive Vibes' & Punchlines (Exclusive)". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  20. ^ "Starbucks Partners with Harry Mack to 'Reverse Roast' Coffee Drinkers, Inspiring At-Home Coffee Exploration". Starbucks. 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  21. ^ "Viral freestyle rap sensation Harry Mack joins NBA on TNT, rhymes live in Studio J". TNT. 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  22. ^ Silva, Orlando (2023-04-05). "Social Media Star Rapper Harry Mack Made A Big Rhyme Using 'Antetokounmpo'". Fadeaway World. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  23. ^ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (2023-07-27). "Ice Cube Seemed Quite Impressed With Harry Mack's "TMNT" Freestyle". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  24. ^ Bebb, Imogen (2024-06-07). "Viral Rapper Harry Mack Makes Will Smith Go Crazy In This Insane Freestyle Performance". The Music Man. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  25. ^ "Harry Mack Performs at the Streamer Awards 2024". YouTube. 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  26. ^ "Harry Mack Speaks On LAUSD Strike w/ Freestyle to Nas' - "Hate Me Now"". Power 106 Los Angeles. 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  27. ^ "Harry Mack On Debut Album 'Contents Under Pressure' + Freestyles On The Spot TWICE". Power 106 Los Angeles. 2019-01-18. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  28. ^ Millan, Camilla (2021-07-31). "Rimas entre telas: Harry Mack reinventou o rap de improviso no Omegle [ENTREVISTA]" [Rhymes between screens: Harry Mack reinvented improv rap on Omegle]. Rolling Stone Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  29. ^ a b Spangler, Todd (2021-10-20). "YouTube Streamy Awards 2021 Nominations Announced, MrBeast Leads With Seven Nods". Variety. Retrieved 2022-04-15.

External links[edit]

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