Atlanta rapper OG Maco has reportedly been hospitalized after an apparent suicide attempt, according to TMZ. The rapper was found in his home, unresponsive, after a neighbor called 911 to report a gunshot. He was rushed to the hospital with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and entered surgery, although was still alive as of the report.
When we discuss trap rap pioneers, we all too often leave OG Maco out of the conversation. The College Park rapper rose to prominence in 2014 with his debut single “You Guessed It,” signing to Quality Control Music that year and appearing on the XXL Freshman Class cover the following year. He was arguably the spark that launched QC to prominence; his presence helped revitalize interest in the guttural style of trap music popularized by “You Guessed It,” and you can see elements of his goth-inspired style in rappers from the area and the era such as Playboi Carti and early Lil Uzi Vert. In addition, his production partner, OG Parker, has become one of rap’s most coveted collaborators.
However, after the runaway success of “You Guessed It,” Maco experienced a downturn in his fortunes, prompted in part by his own comments. Bitter about the lack of success of his follow-up singles in comparison to “You Guessed It,” he lashed out on Twitter, downplaying the song’s reception (much as Doja Cat would do years later, albeit with more positive results). In 2022, he maintained in interviews that he’d been “blackballed” by Quality Control, saying the label refused to promote his work with the same fervor as signees such as Migos, City Girls, or Lil Yachty.
He was also left with a vision impairment by a car crash in 2016, in which he fractured his skull and cracked multiple vertebrae. Meanwhile, in 2019, was diagnosed with a flesh eating bacteria, causing scarring on his face.