Rapper Damac Pays Homage To His Mom With Powerful New Concept Album 'For Mama Mac'
Rapper Damac is paying homage to his mom with his powerful new concept album For Mama Mac, available everywhere May 14.
“This album is a tribute album to my late mother,” Damac says. “It tells the full story of who she was, losing her, dealing with the grief, and finding hope in Jesus. My mother recorded a testimony video back in 2018. We took her vocals from that session and added it to the album. So she talks throughout, giving her favorite scriptures, encouragement, and thoughts. She even prays on a song.”
For Mama Mac is a natural chapter in Damac’s ministry, given his mother’s longtime support of his music. Damac’s artist name is an acronym standing for “Deeply Anointed Music About Christ,” and his community quickly dubbed his mom Mama Mac. Mama Mac passed away from kidney disease in 2021. These songs remembering her took a while to craft.
“It’s been a hard 3 years, full of grief, sorrow, hurt, and depression,” Damac recalls. “I finally got to a point where I was able to put into the words the loss that I’ve been feeling.”
The result is a rap record infused with both grief and hope: sorrow for losing her, and joy for a life well-lived and a soul now home. The themes are presented in bars delivered with supporting musical influences from EDM, R&B, folk and pop. The varied influences were spun into a cohesive whole by three-times Grammy-nominated producer Jonny Grande (TobyMac, Derek Minor, Aaron Cole). This is the fourth album that Damac and Grande have produced together, proving the staying power of their creative chemistry.
“I speak every lyric with passion, conviction, and love. Music gives me joy, so you’ll hear it whenever you listen to me,” Damac says, reflecting on his anchor points as an artist.
That passion is evident on songs like “Won’t He Do It,” an energetic song uplifting God’s faithfulness to walk us through the storms of this life. It’s a moment of praise amid the grief.
“Da Queen” is passionate in a different way, serving as a tribute to Damac’s wife.
“I call her ‘Da Queen’ because she is royalty and she is my Queen,” the rapper says. “We got married on March 13, 2021. It was by far the best day of my life. My Mother prayed over us at the wedding (you can hear that recorded on the song). My Mother then passed away on June 2, 2021. That was by far the worst day of my life. My wife was right there holding my hand as I held my Mother’s hand. Our marriage was hit with tragedy right from the beginning. My Wife has seen me depressed and at my worst, and she has stuck right by me.”
Simply titled “June 2nd,” one song dives into the heart of that gut-wrenching day of loss. Damac says, “It lays out everything that happened on the day that my Mother passed away. The hospital visit. The doctors giving us the news. Even her final moments, after they took her off of life support, as we prayed over her.”
From tribulation to triumph, For Mama Mac is a clear portrait of what it’s like to live through both the highs and the lows as followers of Christ. Every song weaves together to tell the Damac’s family story- and chances are, many listeners will hear their own stories through these songs too.
For Mama Mac is the latest entry in a steadfast career. Damac accepted Jesus while in college, and began making music after graduation in 2010. Since then, his music ministry has taken him to stages big and small, from festivals to detention centers. He’s opened for heavy-hitters like Lecrae, NF, KB, We Are Messengers, Colton Dixon, Cory Asbury, Sidewalk Prophets, Derek Minor and more. Always innovating new ways to connect with people, he created the Damac Da Musical House Show Experience, which he’s brought to over 60 living rooms across the country.
Through all of it, his core mission remains extraordinarily simple and eternally significant.
“I want every person to walk away with hope in Jesus Christ,” the artist says earnestly. “We all experience pain. We all experience hardship. We all will experience grief. It’s inevitable. But, we all have hope in Jesus. I want you to walk away encouraged, inspired, challenged, excited. I want you to feel like you know me.”
