MrMecc

“To the know the truth is to know the self, and to know the self is to know the Mecca…”
- Pete Rock

Hip-Hop isn’t dead, it’s only in a witness protection program. A few trusted disciples of the culture have been entrusted with its care until the world is ready to respect the real again. If you decode their government tags you can seek out these gatekeepers, and maybe they’ll take audience with you. Take for example out of Jamaica, Queens, a renaissance b-boy that is known in some circles as M.C. The streets know him as Mr. Mecca.

“Actually it started as a breakdance name, short for ‘Mechanical,’” explains the artist who used to pop and lock for loose money on cardboard mats outside of The World Trade Center. “Went from that to just plain Mecc.”

Since 2004 year the talented lyricist has made a name in New York’s underground as not only a formidable battle MC, but as a commanding live performer. He cut his teeth at Joe’s Pub and B.B. Kings thanks to crowd-pleasing favorites like “Beastin’” and “Insecure.” Now the goateed soloist is finally releasing his debut CD, Last Exit with German producer, Croup.

Mecca’s break into music came around 2000. Once the world didn’t blow up from a computer glitch, Mecca began to frequent The Tea Party, a gathering of MCs and poets held on Sunday nights at Brooklyn’s YWCA. This is where he met Substantial and Pack FM and formed the group Dominion. With no recorded music they built a fanbase performing at spots like Spiral lounge, Baby Jupiter and CBGB’s

Eventually Dominion dissolved as Pack and Substantial focused on their solo careers. Though they were all still part of a larger collective called The Plague, Mecca had no intentions to keep recording until he was urged by QN5’s Tonedeff to pursue a career on his own.

“He was basically like, I got a beat, I’mma give it to you, come up with something. It was the first song I’d ever recorded by myself, “Come On Now.” It’s still one of my most crowd-pleasingest songs.” Once he was awarded The Source’s Unsigned Hype, Mecca felt it was time for him to branch out on his own.

“I just talk about real life on some real topic shit. We ain’t all thugs,” says Mecca who doesn’t drink or smoke. “I’ve punched many people in the face and never sold a drug in my life. I’ve seen the hardest gangstas laugh their asses off and eat cereal. There are other parts of the hood, and if you listen, I’ll show you.”