Today we’d like to introduce you to Macario Nelson.
Macario, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m 27 Years of Age, Macario Nelson aka “MacNel” and have been creating/writing music since the age of 13. I started off battling other students on the bus and destroying anyone who chose to challenge me. During my junior year of high school, I was making “hot 16” YouTube videos and gained a lot of recognition from them. I was then reached out by a Def Jam A&R at the time to be a top candidate for a two rapper music group they were trying to sign. I was highly into sports, playing varsity baseball from my sophomore year till senior, I had to decide which route I wanted to go; sports or music. I decided that I would use my talents for music because that’s what I was really good at. I did not end up signing the Dej Jam contract but continued to make music with friends until something popped off. After highschool, I attended the college University of West Georgia for business and film, there I made a name for myself as the rapper/camera man.
Joining all of the ‘spoken word’ events and being the main attraction each week. I then formed a music group with two of my talented friends. We called ourselves ‘MDS’ (Money Don’t Sleep), which was a rapper (MacNel) singer (Kash Draco) and producer (OG Parker) and we actually made a lot of progress. We started recording in major studios in the downtown area and received a music management contract. We stuck together for a few years, getting writing placements with the major signed artist, etc. We eventually decided we all wanted to do our own thing and be a completely solo artist. In the year of 2014, I then formed an entirely new music group, but this time it was more of a team than a band. Called ourselves GQ (Great Quality) and from there, I assembled the team with 6 producers 7 artists and a few cameramen. We all had the same vision and goal, we wanted to make it big but do it the independent way. Winning just about every open mic competition to opening up for major artists, we really had a big movement around the city.
Fast forward a few years into GQ and now we have hundreds of thousands of streams from our top artist, a few of our producers have landed huge placements with artists such as Drake, PartyNextDoor, Migos the list is huge on the producer side. Myself as the CEO of GQ, has to be the boss along with still being an artist. Everyone apart of GQ sharpens each other where we lack. Ive had songs on the radio, was one of the opening acts for Birthday Bash 2019, have went on a nation wide college tour, and have official music videos out that have gained me the recognition as a respectable unsigned artist who is doing it the right way. The journey is far from over but I can feel a big break happening soon between myself and one of the GQ artists on the team.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The music industry is known for being a cut-throat industry, so no, it has not been a smooth road. Challenges are inevitable in this game. What does not kill you will make you stronger and wiser. And that statement alone is exactly what live by with this music. Bad contracts, envious friends, broken promises, discouragement, etc. have all made me wiser with how I handle business with music. Being completely independent means you also have to invest in yourself and your team. So much money has been dumped into the music, it took years before we could even start seeing a dollar back from it, but that never stopped me. I know myself and my team have the talent to be big mainstream stars and I just tell myself, “you’re too invested to quit now.” I use all my studying and all my past struggles to make me into the artist/CEO I am today.
Great Quality Ent – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Great Quality Ent. was named that for a reason. Everyone apart of GQ makes GREAT music, and aside from the great music, we all strive to have great visuals, great engineers, great artwork, great beats, great performances, great everything! Brand, Sound, Image is our specialty. Myself being the main artist but the CEO of the company specialize in making things happen, building strong relationships that not only I but my team can benefit from as well. I hold team meetings all the time, created a team group chat so we can all converse and give each other advice, I make sure all music is uploaded and all studio session are conducted the proper way. I scout for new talent all the time that would fit our brand. I am most proud of my team’s growth more than anything, we are all hard-working individuals that really study music and it shows. I think what sets GQ apart from most other independent labels is that we really have a diverse roaster who all are strong in their specific area.
What were you like growing up?
As a kid, I was always into sports and music. Super active and also laughing. I knew how to draw really well at an early age and a lot of my family members thought I would grow up to be a cartoon artist or a famous painter tbh. But as I got older, I started progressing really fast in baseball, winning all kinds of MVP awards, etc. I always loved hip hop without even thinking about being a rapper. I watched one of the older kids in my hood make music and press up CDS and make money off of it at an early age. I started rapping with all of them at the park every day, studying rap battles and 106 & park freestyle Fridays I was ahead of any kid my age with vocabulary and rhyme schemes. I was the kid who just was a jack of all trades for my age, tbh. Always was popular, always made great grades, always was the life of the room.
Contact Info:
- Website: macnelmusic.com
- Phone: 6786424311
- Email: macnelmusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: macnel_gq
- Facebook: MacNEL
- Twitter: macnel_gq
Image Credit:
@shotby713
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