China Mac

Raymond Yu (born February 5, 1982),[1][2] known professionally as China Mac, is an American rapper, entertainer, activist, and former gang member.[3][4]

Early years

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

2000–2013: Incarceration

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 pet store with the money he saved up while in prison.[3][7][6]

2014–present: Music production & activism

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 1st, 2020 as a response to raise awareness about anti-Asian hate crimes.[14] The "They Can't Burn Us All" rallying cry have 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] These events have garnered hundreds to participate.[14][15]

China Mac's activism led him to release the single "They Can't Burn Us All" on October 30, 2020.[17]

Personal life

His father was a part of the Chinese-American gang, Flying Dragons, that was active in the 1980s.[3]

References
  1. Vyas, Karishma. "Ex-prisoner-turned-rapper fights for justice for Asian Americans". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  2. Mac, China (February 5, 2020). "Blessed to see another year Birthday cakeFolded hands. Gift me by Pre Saving THE ARRIVAL". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  3. 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. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  4. 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. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  5. China Mac Explains How to Smuggle Sneakers Into Prison (Video). Full Size Run. Sole Collector. June 27, 2019.
  6. Vicino, Stephen (2014-11-17). "Exclusive Interview with China Mac". Music Existence. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  7. 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.
  8. Riley, Wallace (2019-06-22). "Jin & China Mac Reconcile 15 Years After China Mac Shot Jin's Friend". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  9. "M.I.T.M, by CHINA MAC". CHINA MAC. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  10. Santi, Christina (November 21, 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: China Mac on Chinese Mafia, Shooting Jin's Friend, Prison Time (Full Interview)". www.vladtv.com. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  11. Casino, Khier (2018-12-18). "China Mac Puts Lil Pump on Instagram Blast for Mocking Asians in New Video". NextShark. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  12. 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. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  13. 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.
  14. "Rapper China Mac: 'Who Will Stand with Us If We Don't Stand Up for Ourselves?'". PEOPLE.com. August 31, 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  15. Chen, Maina (September 10, 2020). "#TheyCantBurnUsAll Movement Makes Its Way to Los Angeles and San Francisco". NextShark. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  16. Yu, Betty (September 26, 2020). "'They Can't Burn Us All' Anti-Racism Movement Heads To San Francisco". sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com. CBS. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  17. Bit, Lillian (October 31, 2020). "Bad Ass Asians: China Mac releases first single: They Can't Burn Us All". AsAmNews. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
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