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Gmac Cash
Gmac Cash in 2022
Gmac Cash in 2022
Background information
Birth nameGerald Allen
Born (1993-03-12) March 12, 1993 (age 31)
Detroit, Michigan, US
GenresComedy hip hop
Years active2011–present
Alma materSoutheastern High School

Gerald Allen (born March 12, 1993), known professionally as Gmac Cash, is an American comedy rapper known for his various short songs about newsworthy topics, including the Detroit Sign, the Belle Isle Park Giant Slide, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election.

Raised in Detroit, he was influenced by his mother's involvement in music and adopted the stage name "Gmac Cash", making music after graduating from high school in 2011. His breakthrough came with the song "First Day at Popeyes," recorded over Tee Grizzley's "First Day Out." He gained further recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic with songs like "Coronavirus" and "Big Gretch," the latter praising Governor Gretchen Whitmer's pandemic response. He released "Giant Slide" in 2022, which was featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and "Montgomery Brawl" in 2023.

Early life and education

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Gerald Allen was born on March 12, 1993, in Detroit, Michigan, and was raised by his single mother on Detroit's East Side.[1] His mother sang in her church's choir and always had music playing in their home, exposing Allen to music from a young age. He played basketball and admired player Tracy McGrady, often referred to as T-Mac, and chose his stage name "Gmac Cash" in reference to McGrady's nickname. He attended Southeastern High School and graduated in 2011.[2]

Musical career

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Early career and first successes

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After graduating from high school, he started making music and selling CDs out of his trunk for $10 each, forming the group True Rich with four of his high school friends.[3] His initial success came with the song "First Day at Popeyes," where he rapped over Tee Grizzley's song "First Day Out" while driving around the city with friends. Their reactions encouraged him to record and release the song, which went viral and was reposted by WorldStarHipHop.[2]

In 2016, he was hired at a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles stamping plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. During this time, he made the song "FMLA" about his reluctance to go to work the next morning after a night of partying, using the Family and Medical Leave Act to be absent from work. He filmed the video for the song at a Chrysler plant in Warren, Michigan. In October 2018, plant officials requested him to remove the video because they felt it reflected poorly on the company. He complied with their request but was terminated from his job a week later for violating a company policy regarding the misuse of company property.[4] The following year, he released the song "On Strike" along with a music video showing his participation in the United Auto Workers' strike against General Motors.[5][6]

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gmac Cash released the song "Coronavirus," where he rapped about self-isolating and avoiding infection by staying home. In the music video, he used a spray bottle of disinfectant like a pistol while wearing a hazmat suit, a surgical mask, and medical gloves.[7][8] The song went viral, with the Los Angeles Times noting that it "wring[s] goofy humor from the predicament of quarantine."[9]

"Big Gretch" and viral songs

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Gmac Cash has made songs on various topics including the Belle Isle Park Slide and the Detroit Sign.

Later on in May, he released the song "Big Gretch," in which he raps about Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan and the protests against the stay-at-home orders. The song was tweeted by rapper Eminem and was featured on Pitchfork's The Ones, where it was described as "serious but not solemn" political action rap song.[10] It was also noticed by Whitmer herself, who said on in a tweet she loved both the nickname and the song.[11][12] In response, Gmac Cash started a GoFundMe campaign to gift Whitmer a pair of Buffs, a nickname for buffalo horn sunglasses produced by Cartier, which were referenced in the song. However, Whitmer declined the gift, citing that she couldn't accept items costing over $50, so the money raised was donated to a charity.[13][14] She later wore Buffs in a taped segment during the City of Detroit's Everybody vs. COVID-19 online music festival held at the end of the month.[15]

In August 2022, Gmac Cash released the song "Giant Slide" about the Belle Isle Park slide, which had recently been reopened.[16][17] The song was featured on a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where guest host Lamorne Morris jokingly commented that it was "the jam of the summer."[18][19] He was later invited to perform the song on the show in December, where host Jimmy Kimmel wore a pair of Buffs.[20][21][22] A year later, he released the song "Montgomery Brawl," which recounted the events of the Montgomery Riverfront brawl.[23] He referenced multiple people, including a Black defender who used a folding chair as an improvised weapon.[24] Several rappers, including Big Sean, Sexyy Red, and GLC, supported "Montgomery Brawl" by commenting on Gmac Cash's Instagram page.[25]

In April 2024, he released the song "Detroit Sign", which humorously criticized the new Detroit Sign on the Interstate 94 and satirized the city's aesthetic choices.[26][27] He composed the song in just five minutes, aiming to differentiate himself from other artists in the city, and released a music video on April 12, 2024.[28][29] Days later, he released a sequel titled "Detroit Sign 2", in which he addressed the sign's nighttime illumination and responded to critiques of his initial song.[30]

Personal life and artistry

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Gmac Cash's interest in music began during his childhood, as he was exposed to musicians such as Jill Scott and Mary J. Blige when his mother played music in their home. He began listening to music on his own as a teenager and became a fan of musicians like Lil Wayne and "Weird Al" Yankovic. Yankovic's song "Trapped in the Drive-Thru," which parodied R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet," influenced him, making him appreciate the art of making popular songs with a comedic twist. He also acts in film and television productions and hosts a podcast.[2]

His music has been described as "describing situations and viral moments" by Bloomberg News.[3] Gmac Cash stated that he chose to be a comedy rapper in order to stand out. He takes little time to write and record his songs to capitalize on the freshness of the story, often receiving between 100 and 500 direct messages daily from fans requesting that he cover various topics.[5] He is a fan of the Detroit Lions, making multiple songs in support of the team including "Lions Win", "Lions Win Again", and "We the Lions".[1]

Discography

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Studio albums
  • What's Funny (2018)
  • King of Comedy Rap (2019)
  • Goat (2019)
  • The Mac Book (2020)
  • Everything Ain't Funny (2020)
  • King of Comedy Rap 2 (2021)
  • Made in Detroit (2022)
  • King Viral (2022)
  • Lil Earn (2023)
  • Made In Detroit 2 (2023)

References

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  1. ^ a b Graham, Adam (January 19, 2024). "When the Lions win, Detroit rapper Gmac Cash provides the soundtrack". The Detroit News.
  2. ^ a b c Graham, Adam (December 26, 2022). "For Detroit rapper Gmac Cash, the next hit is just a news cycle away". The Detroit News.
  3. ^ a b Carman, Ashley (August 10, 2023). "The Montgomery Brawl Song Captures the Music Industry's Angst". Bloomberg News.
  4. ^ Hunter, Branden (April 4, 2019). "How the King of Comedy Rap laughed his way to success". Michigan Chronicle.
  5. ^ a b Jordan, Jerilyn (May 13, 2020). "How prolific Detroit rapper GMac Cash has turned going viral into an art form". Metro Times.
  6. ^ Thibodeau, Ian (September 19, 2019). "GM strike becomes the soundtrack of a hip-hop video". The Detroit News.
  7. ^ Graham, Adam (March 20, 2020). "Detroit rapper Gmac Cash on viral 'Coronavirus' hit: 'It's amazing'". The Detroit News.
  8. ^ Barshad, Amos (April 1, 2020). ""I'm Gonna Do It Properly": Musicians on Making Songs in the Age of Coronavirus...About Coronavirus". GQ.
  9. ^ Rosen, Judy (March 20, 2020). "Pandemic pop: At home and around the world, dark-humored new songs about coronavirus go viral". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ^ Pearce, Sheldon (May 14, 2020). "The Ones: Gmac Cash's "Big Gretch"". Pitchfork.
  11. ^ "Whitmer approves new track and nickname from local rapper: 'Big Gretch says stay home and stay safe'". The Hill. May 4, 2020.
  12. ^ Bevos, Edward (May 4, 2020). "Detroit rapper's 'Big Gretch' song gets some love from Gov. Whitmer". MLive.
  13. ^ Jordan, Jerilyn (May 4, 2020). "There's now a GoFundMe to get a pair of Buffs for Gov. 'Big Gretch' Whitmer". Metro Times.
  14. ^ Lofton, Justine (May 6, 2020). "Detroit rapper donates 'Big Gretch' Buffs funds after Whitmer says she can't accept them". MLive.
  15. ^ McCollum, Brian (May 29, 2020). "Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at last dons pair of Cartier 'Buffs' sunglasses in Detroit salute". Detroit Free Press.
  16. ^ Lukpat, Alyssa (August 25, 2022). "The Giant Slide in Detroit Sends Riders Flying, Inspiring Jokes, a Rap Song and a How-To Video". The Wall Street Journal.
  17. ^ Mark, Julian (August 27, 2022). "A giant slide unexpectedly sent kids flying – and inspired a viral rap". The Washington Post.
  18. ^ Robinson, Samuel (August 26, 2022). "Gmac Cash's Giant Slide anthem goes viral". Axios.
  19. ^ Hinds, Julie (August 23, 2022). "Belle Isle Giant Slide's wild rides featured on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live,' in new song". Detroit Free Press.
  20. ^ Stein, Emma (December 15, 2022). "Jimmy Kimmel dons 'Buffs' after Detroit rapper Gmac Cash performs 'Giant Slide'". Detroit Free Press.
  21. ^ Graham, Adam (December 15, 2022). "Detroit rapper Gmac Cash performs Belle Isle slide tribute on 'Kimmel'". The Detroit News.
  22. ^ Squires, Bethy (December 14, 2022). "Who Won Jimmy Kimmel Live's Clip of the Year?". Vulture.
  23. ^ Darville, Jordan (August 8, 2023). "Song You Need: Gmac Cash's "Montgomery Brawl" recaps the feel-good fight video of the year". The Fader. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  24. ^ Barmore, Jasmin (August 8, 2023). "Detroit rapper writes song about Montgomery riverfront brawl, goes viral". Detroit Free Press.
  25. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (August 8, 2023). "Detroit Rapper Gmac Cash Turns Alabama Brawl Into Hilarious Rap Song". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  26. ^ Breihan, Tom (April 12, 2024). "Gmac Cash's Diss Track About The New Detroit Sign Is Pretty Funny". Stereogum.
  27. ^ Graham, Adam (April 10, 2024). "Gmac Cash on Detroit's new 'Hollywood' sign: 'You can take it back'". The Detroit News.
  28. ^ Pandya, Hershal (April 12, 2024). "The Year's Most Scathing Diss Track Is About Architecture". Vulture.
  29. ^ Elibert, Mark (April 12, 2024). "Michigan Rapper Gmac Cash Flames City's New Landmark on "Detroit Sign" Diss Track: 'You Can Take It Back'". Complex.
  30. ^ Graham, Adam (April 16, 2024). "Gmac Cash back with 'Detroit Sign 2,' is still not impressed with city's 'Hollywood' sign". The Detroit News.
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