December 14, 2024 The hip-hop world is in a tailspin amid reports that OG Maco, the Atlanta-based rapper famed for his viral 2014 hit “U Guessed It,” is fighting for his life after an apparent suicide attempt. On December 12, 2024, Maco was found unresponsive in his Los Angeles home after a neighbor called 911 upon hearing a gunshot.
By the time the responders got to him, he had shot himself in the head. He was taken straight into a nearby hospital where doctors quickly wheeled him into surgery. As at the making of this report, OG Maco is in a critical state and Poppa Percccc seeks his followers to keep him in their prayers.
Born Maco Mattox, originally from Lithia Springs in Atlanta, Georgia. OG Maco burst into the spotlight at the beginning of 2014 and did it with an uncontrollable and electric anthem entitled “U Guessed It“; the track went on blowing up across the map via social media, stamping him and promising to stand out as one of the interesting new voices in rap.
Quality Control Music signed him because he was among the artists who broke very well, laying the success pipe which this Label continues to get.
It has, however, been an uphill struggle to rise through personal and professional challenges. In 2016, Maco survived a near-fatal car accident that left him with a fractured skull, while his vision was impaired. Just three years later, he was diagnosed with a rare flesh-eating bacterial infection that brought massive physical and emotional pain. The illness left him scarred and out of the music industry for a while.
It got in the way of everything, no matter how much he enjoyed those things, whether it was with loved ones or hobbies he really liked. Despite the hardships in his life — which obviously include depression and thoughts of suicide — Maco made his struggles public while attempting to make awareness for his cause. Events like feeling like an outcast and frustration, including himself being “blackballed” from his old label, furthered those issues.
The whole hip-hop community was dumbfounded when news swept in about the life threat that Maco faces. Messages and love have been blown up on social media as fans and fellow artists reacted with messages of support. Teaming up to tell personal stories of how he impacted their work, others take a much more serious route: demands to pay more attention to the mental health challenges within the entertainment industry.
Manager for Maco, Poppa Percccc was compelled to address the outpouring of concern via a public statement, confirming that the rapper was indeed alive but still on life support. “Maco needs all the prayers and positive energy he can get right now,” said Percccc. “This is a fight for his life, and we are all standing by him.”
It is indeed very sad, showing the many pressures artists are under with highly visible careers. The music industry, especially the arena of hip-hop, is fast and competitive, which escalates stress, isolation, and mental health struggles. In turn, Maco’s transparency about depression raises awareness of a desire for more accessible resources pertaining to mental health for everyone-not just celebrities-dealing with life’s ups and downs. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to 988Lifeline.org.
