RnB duo, Mac X King, have returned with their latest Afro-Swing tune, ‘Bad Ting’.
The Zimbabwe-born, Swansea-raised lads – also known as Maccintosh and Yxng King – are swiftly approaching recognition and are a favourite to the people of their childhood city.
Not only have the pair caught the eye of Swansea Football Club with their distinctive combination of soulful RnB and upbeat dancehall, but they have also shared the stage with, ‘German’ singer-songwriter, EO, and East London rapper, Don EE.
Mac X King’s journey began back in 2017 when they introduced us to their undeniably authentic sound with their first single, ‘Like Dat’.
Not so long after, they released hip-hop anthem, ‘Dollars ‘N Pounds’.
We caught up with the pair ahead of the release of ‘Bad Ting’, where they let us in on their childhood aspirations, how the pair came about and where they see themselves by 2020.
Hey guys, for those who don’t know you yet, who are Mac X King?
Mac: I am Mac aka Maccintosh and I am 23 years young. I was quite mischievous growing up, always getting in trouble but on the side, I was writing songs as a hobby. Never really took it seriously until about a year ago. Prior to music, I was playing football a lot and I attended stage school where I got one of the main parts in the musical, ‘Rent’. They would try to get me to sing but back then I thought it wasn’t cool. It was something I had to grow into and get comfortable with and once I got comfortable, that’s where I found my passion for music.
King: I am Yxng King aka King. I’m 21 currently, turning 22 this year. I was never really into music growing up until the day my cousin and I got grounded for breaking a TV. After about a week of being grounded, we had run out of things to do so we decided to write a song and from that day I fell in love with the idea of creating my own music. Writing, to me, is the best way for me to express myself because I like to talk about how I feel in that exact moment or another moment from the past, so I like my lyrics to have some length of truth to them.
How did you two meet?
King: We always used to see each other around the city. Mac added me on Snapchat and was previewing a song that I was working on and he was impressed with the sound. He went on to show me some of the stuff he was working on. Then after recording a few songs together, we both decided to work together as a duo.
Growing up, did you have any other aspirations?
Mac: I wanted to be either a footballer or an actor because they both enable me to bring out my creative side and freely express myself.
King: As a kid, I always saw myself growing up to be an entertainer of some sort, whether that was music or acting. I wasn’t sure back then but my passion for music grew stronger as I got older.
Who do you musically compare yourselves to?
Mac: When I rap, I’d say J Hus because I like that he portrays himself in his music. When I sing, I’d say Ne-Yo because he gets in touch with his emotions and that is how I like to portray myself in my music.
King: I musically compare myself to Drake, Bryson Tiller and August Alsina. Mainly because they talk about their life experiences and the music is relatable and I really admire that. We want to do the same with our music.
So, if you could collaborate with anybody right now, who would it be?
Drake is the first artist we thought of because the guy is a legend and he changed music. He brought a different feel to R&B and has paved the way for many artists.
You mentioned that Swansea Football Club helped you guys, how is that?
One of the stars of the team, Leroy Fer, posted our song, ‘Dollars ’N Pounds’ on his Instagram story. To us, it was a really big thing because it shows that we haven’t been wasting our time and it was a real confidence booster.
Where do you see Mac X King by 2020?
By the time that the year 2020 comes, we are looking to have made our mark on the UK music scene and expanding our fanbase to get a global audience.
Your EP, ‘Fireworks’, is available later this year. What can we expect?
The EP is something that we have been working on for just over a year now and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it because it’s really been a fire in the works, hence the title.
You can now listen to Mac X King’s latest hit, ‘Bad Ting’, and it will be included in their EP, ‘Fireworks’, later this year.
They are definitely 2019’s ones to watch.