Mac & A.K – “Don’t Play With Me” ft. King Cydal and Money $ Mont AKA Mr Fetti

Eric “Mac Pacino” Gordon and Keith “A.K.” Gordon, fraternal twin brothers hailing from East Palo Alto California in the San Francisco Bay Area formed the group Mac & A.K. The two honed their craft while living in Palo Alto, the then noted murder capital of the United States. Eric “Mac Pacino” first started in a group called Black Jack, which released their acclaimed album “Streets 2 Da Grave” on Ichiban Records, before forming Mac & A.K. with his brother. They eventually signed with Tommy Boy Records based in New York, which was handling acts such as Coolio, De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, and House of Pain at the time.

While on Tommy Boy Records, Mac & A.K. released their first EP Westbound: For Riders Only on their imprint Streetlife Records. Despite the record doing well, and them receiving a gold plaque for the song Way 2 Saucy featuring Mac Mall, also from the Bay Area, things did not workout at Tommy Boy, so the group asked to be let out of their contract.

They then launched E&K Music Group and released Money Rhymes as their first release, which featured heavyweights like E-40, Mac Mall, Above The Law, and local legends like Chunk and Neva Legal.

The second release was Hustle Music, which featured The Game, Young Noble from the Outlaws, Chunk, Sean T and other Bay Area Legends. The last album was “Legendary”, which was also well received. Unfortunately, Eric “Mac Pacino” Gordon died in 2013 and A.K. was left to fully run the record label and continue releasing projects on E & K Music Group.

The first release of many was the single “Gasoline”, which is on the forthcoming coming album “Only The Strong Survive”. The project will feature notable artists Planet Asia, King Cydal, JT The Bigga Figga, M-Dash and many more.

If the single “Gasoline” is to be remembered as an exercise in golden-age revivalism of groove-induced banging, the follow-up “Don’t Play With Me” ft. King Cydal and Money $ Mont AKA Mr Fetti prioritizes bringing that style into the here and now.

Fully loaded and lyrically on target, Mac & A.K. is in red-hot form throughout, firing shots like a high-powered artillery gunner. The track is jam-packed with incendiary moments, as the funky bass booming production forms the foundation for a trip back to the glory days of hardcore booth-spitting which is a rarity these days.

“Don’t Play With Me” possess a palpable sense of focus. Unlike so many modern hip-hop tracks, it wastes no time with unnecessary fluff. The song is concise and straight-to-the-point, with no signs of over-indulgence.

In short, it’s the kind of track Mac & A.K. is capable of making with effortless ease. The song’s punchy, head-banging sound should be a reference point for other artists trying to tap into its buoyant infectiousness.

Driven by Mac & A.K.’s fussy perfectionism and the desire to create a singular, mesmerizing listening experience, the end result is an undeniable success. Mac & A.K. , King Cydal and Money $ Mont AKA Mr Fetti shine bright on “Don’t Play With Me” with their vocal performances, and this is also where their unselfconscious approach pays the greatest dividends.

These men have been around the block, and it shows in their flow and smooth rhyme schemes. Across the record, they jumps from hushed to full-ahead and everything in between, rapping like they truly mean every word.

Mac & A.K. and his featured guests, King Cydal and Money $ Mont AKA Mr Fetti have constructed an effort that is a groove-driven rap tour de force. It is totally exhilarating. The sharp, shapeshifting deliveries and the explosive hair-trigger beat propel the track forward from start to finish.

In fact, one of the best characteristics of “Don’t Play With Me” is the production, giving a backdrop that manages to be both smooth and luxurious, yet slapping in the spirit of West Coast rap. Bros around the world are going to be getting loose to this song for months to come.

“Don’t Play With Me” represents one of Mac & A.K.’s most passionate performances, getting an exceptional lift from his features too. The understated swagger Mac & A.K., King Cydal and Money $ Mont AKA Mr Fetti exude on the track is uncanny, portraying a time when rap was all about technique and braggadocio.

It’s a track that makes you believe these artists can literally rap over anything. In the end, Mac & A.K. does what he does best on “Don’t Play With Me” ft. King Cydal and Money $ Mont AKA Mr Fetti – making a fully-fledged hard-hitting banger.