Excuse My French is the fifth video single off Mac Irv’s 2021 instant-classic album ‘The Breakthrough’.
Some stories birthed and illustrated in the hood never leave city
limits. And for some, music is more than just an outlet. It’s an escape.
Born and raised in North Minneapolis, Mac Irv’s gift for rhyming began
at an early age, most of which he learned from his grandfather along
with living across the street from Cornbread Harris, father of Grammy
award winning producer Jimmy Jam. At 9 years old, Mac Irv started a rap
group and was making rhymes in his basement.
His gift for music went undisclosed for
many years as his talent for basketball required a full commitment.
After receiving a scholarship to the University of Minnesota, Mac Irv
exceeded athletic expectations, placing him as an All-Big Ten Player
from 2006-2008. Graduating with a degree in Business Marketing, the
Gopher player’s athletic ability was unknowingly deteriorating slowly.
His professional career overseas was eventually cut short after a
serious hip injury. Shortly after at the age of 25, Mac Irv became a
father to a baby girl. Despite battling depression while simultaneously
taking on new responsibilities of parenthood, Mac Irv’s passion for
music was soon reignited.
With support from his
Pilot Life Team Tre Adams and producer Willie Wonka, Mac Irv developed
smooth, quick rap lines and metaphors reflecting his experience on the
Northside, the ups and downs of relationships, and lessons extracted
from sports. Things quickly progressed and his career as an artist was
solidifying.
“Got Me Open” was released
on Youtube as his first single, but it was “Hometown” that allowed him
to ultimately represent for Minnesota, embodying the nickname, “Hometown
Hero”. In 2014, Mac Irv toured with Rhymesters artist Prof and his
single “The Cycle” was nationally featured on MTV Jams. During that same
year, Irv was selected to perform at Soundset, in company with Nas, Wiz
Khalifa, and 2 Chainz.
Continuing to be a voice
for his community, his loyalty for Minneapolis is undimmed. After
several projects and local shows consistently selling out, Mac Irv’s
ambitions brought him to perform at South by Southwest. His mixtape,
“Sincerely Mac Irv” was featured on DatPiff and received an immense
amount of feedback from his fans – which are known as his “fam base”.
Exposing disparities in
his neighborhood through lyrics, Mac Irv has earned a place in the Hip
Hop arena of Minneapolis. Heavily affected by death and incarceration of
friends throughout the years, he continues to persevere through the
oppression that confronts his community by inspiring a little bit of
everyone.
