Today we’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Logan.
Mackenzie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Well, I’d first like to give a shoutout to my brother Jeremy Hall for the reference and also say thank you to you guys for having me and giving me a platform to share my art and my story. I really like what the Voyage Group and Voyage Dallas stand for; shoutout to y’all for giving independent artists, business owners, and entrepreneurs an opportunity to grow our audiences and businesses.
My name is Mackenzie “G@k” Logan. My parents chose the name ‘Mackenzie’ because it means ‘Son of the Wiseman, He who is destined to be King’, and I also go by the name of G@k. G@k is my Artist name and was also my first word. My Mom would call my dad when he was at work, and I was a little baby to let me try to “talk” to him. The only word I could first get out was Gak, so he’s been calling me that ever since, and then my close homies all started calling me that, too, so it just stuck for me. I use the @ in it now to represent the social media/digital/a.i. age we’re now living in.
I was born in Sacramento, California, and lived there til I was 10. The Sac was where I first got into arts, sports, and music. I started off drawing first when I was 3 or 4, that was my first love for real! That was how I first started to express myself artistically, through drawing and acting out movie scenes. I was always intuitive and was also a pretty introverted kid until I started skateboarding and playing sports. I started doing Karate for my dad’s school of Karate that he taught when I was 5, and did that for a couple years until I started playing baseball when I was 7. I played baseball all the way through high school, then played basketball and football in middle school and high school too, once I moved to Texas.
In between that time, while I was still in California, my friend Carson’s Mom, Dorothy, taught me a little bit of basics on the piano, which started getting me interested in music. Then, my other friend Owen introduced me to the band Good Charlotte, and that really sparked my interest in punk rock. Plus, my dad was always playing Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, and other alternative rock, so I just naturally started liking all kinds of different rock music and really just different music in general. My Sister was really the one who first put me on the current Hip-hop back then, like Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Bow Wow. And my mom showed me more of the funkier and jazzier side of music that I love through artists like Outkast, Marvin Gaye, and LL Cool J. But all these people really contributed to my musical and artistic experiences and preferences through my formative years, and I appreciate them and all the music they showed me.
I wrote my first “rap” if you can really call it that, when I was like 13. I know if I could find it now, I’d probably cringe, but I just really wanted to be able rap and freestyle so bad back then. I just didn’t know how to go about learning how to do it or if it was something dudes just knew how to do naturally. I remember watching Big Boi from Outkast on an episode of Wild N’ Out back then and being in awe, like, “How does he do that!?” I was amazed by the wit and how he could come up with so many situationally relevant and clever bars on the spot and spit ’em rapid-fire like that. Watching Big Boi on that episode and witnessing some of the older kids on the bus in Middle school freestyle and battle definitely first planted the seed of me wanting to rap when I was a teenager.
I didn’t write my first song or even consider pursuing music as a career though til I was 18. It was really after getting kicked out of my parent’s house and splitting up with my girlfriend at that time that inspired me to start writing. I needed an outlet for all the pain, frustration, and confusion I was feeling at that time while living out of my car. I didn’t have my own flow yet, but I could tell I had a natural way with words and could paint pictures with them whenever I found the right canvases to catch my tempo on. So, from that point on I really just wanted to hone my skills and see if this was really something I could see myself doing. I studied all the greats in my opinion: Jay Z, Biggie, Tupac, Nas, Outkast, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and plenty more. Those artists are all my main Hip-hop touchstones that I feel helped me grow into the lyricist I am today, and artists like John Lennon, Rick James, Prince, and Erykah Badu from other genres also influenced my pen and sound as well.
I worked on developing myself as an artist while working at different bars and restaurants as a Bartender/Server and going to community college, then later UNT (The University of North Texas). I did some features on a couple of my homies’ projects as I worked on developing my voice and sound, and I also performed in my first show in McKinney in 2014. I released my first single in the summer of 2016. Then I had a pretty busy year in 2017, as I performed at SXSW in Austin for the first time in March, then graduated from UNT with my bachelor’s in communication studies in May, then released my first full-length project in August called “Distortion.” Some other major events happened during this time that I’ll touch on later. But “Distortion” was well received around the city, and the project earned a couple of press write-ups as well, so it made me feel great that people were resonating with what I had to say in my music! I also performed in Ft. Worth and Dallas for the first time and released my first music video before that year was up.
In 2018 and 2019, I released multiple singles and music videos and continued gaining traction through those around the city and in some other areas. “Ride Out,” “Death Threats,” and “Alondra” definitely got me some extra love. I performed in more shows in Dallas, Austin, and Ft. Worth and did my first showcase in LA throughout that time. Then 2020 and the pandemic hit, and needless to say, that time period really shook a lot of things up. Things were very uncertain during that time whenever restaurants had to close and my main source of income was taken away, but I’m grateful for that season though. The pandemic really forced me to be still and sit in solitude for a while and forced me to be more honest with myself about the business side of what I do and how I’m funding the projects I’m creating. The more I sat still, studied, and reflected, the more I realized I was burnt out from working in the service industry, and I didn’t feel like I was fulfilling my full potential by continuing to invest all my time outside of creating into bartending and serving. So, I really used that time to meditate, brainstorm, study business, and get more well-rounded as an entrepreneur.
Later in the Fall of 2020, I released my latest full-length project, “Welcome to Forever”. I’m proud of that project because I feel like it’s innovative and cinematic but also really soulful, relatable, and therapeutic. I talked about topics like substance abuse, depression, redemption, personal discovery, trauma, family, grieving, and spirituality in that album. I went through a lot and learned about myself in the process of making that project, and that’s one of the reasons why I named it “Welcome to Forever”. It’s like I was reintroducing myself to myself and, at the same time, saying to the listeners that the journey of personal discovery and rediscovery is what it’s all about. I started selling Welcome to Forever and G@k merchandise for the first time after releasing this project and was pretty successful doing so, thanks to collaboration with Artists/Graphic Designers Sam Armeson and Bryan Kelly! The release party for the album was also a huge success thanks to my mom! We’re a great team working together! I also received more press and blog write-ups from the project than I ever had on any releases before, including write-ups from “The Los Angeles Tribune” and “E! News 2.0.”
Although the release of album was a success and it was well received, I struggled to come up with the resources I needed to continue to produce more content like music videos, new merch, and more live shows and still pay the bills. So, in 2021 I decided to get more in my entrepreneur bag, and I started a car and motorcycle rental business with my mom to earn some extra income on the side to fund my projects. I did release a single with my friend Desireé Nicole in the summer titled “No Pressure,” and that record got placed in a commercial for Audi, shoutout out to the homie Mo and Esntl Aesthetics! Later that year, I also started working with the company PUSH. to make more songs for commercials, trailers, and movies. I love film, and this is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, so I’m really grateful for that opportunity, shoutout to Chris Prythm!
2022 I started working on an EP that I’ll be releasing along with a short film that I worked on as an Executive Producer. This will be my introduction into the film world. Shoutout to my brother Rashad for writing and directing the short film and collaborating with me on this endeavor. We’re wrapping up both the audio and visual aspects of the projects and plan to release them both this year! I also have another project in the works that I don’t want to say too much about, but I’m loving it, and I’m enjoying the process of creating and refining it. God willing, that project will be releasing this year as well!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Man, it definitely has not been a smooth road the whole way, but I will say that every challenge I had to go through definitely did force me to grow and made me stronger mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. I had my fair share of injuries playing sports in my teenage years, and the setbacks and recovery time from them was the worst part. A couple pulled hamstrings and a couple torn meniscuses (knee ligaments), will definitely teach you some patience, perseverance and discipline. You can’t rush the process; you have to go through whatever the pain is and just let some time pass until you’re actually healthy and strong enough to rehabilitate yourself. I learned lesson a little bit the first time I pulled my hamstring in Middle School, but I really learned it the second time I pulled it my freshman year of High School. Then learned it again and again my junior year with the knee injuries. I can laugh about it now since I’m so far removed from it, but at the time, man, I was broken up. Especially when your kind of leaning on sports as a way for you to get to college. These times were really painful and confusing for me at the time because I thought I had a plan, but I had to ask myself if continuing to play sports was the best choice for me. Ultimately, the injuries really gave me a lot of mental toughness and showed me I can recover from anything I put my mind to, but I knew it was time to shift to something new.
I’ve also had a few different incidents with substance abuse. To be honest, I probably started having chemical dependency issues in high school around the time I was having all the injuries. I was also dealing with some issues at home, and those problems, mixed with the injuries, really just made me feel like I had no control over what was happening in my life at that time. I would often get told that addiction runs in both sides of my family, and I saw a little bit of what they were talking about growing up. It definitely hurts to watch people you love struggle with substances, but it hits different when you can feel something really has a hold on you. I don’t want to get into too many details about specifics because I feel like the main takeaways from my experiences are the most important parts, and some of those are, “There’s a time and a place”, “Too much of anything can be a bad thing”, “Everything ain’t for everybody”, “Everything ain’t for every season”, and “Know Thyself”. My bouts with substances definitely lead me into getting more into reading and studying spirituality, philosophy and wanting to gain more knowledge of self though. I wasn’t raised in a religious household, so I didn’t feel like I had a strong spiritual foundation to fall back on whenever the waters got rough. But going through the reckless and near-death experiences did bring me to a place where I wanted to learn about spirituality, religion, prayer, affirmations, and meditation. Now, I meditate, say affirmations, and do breathing exercises regularly. I also practice Vedic Astrology and study Hinduism and Numerology as well.
When I was really starting to first get into my spiritual studies my Nana (Grandmother) was a really big advocate for me to learn and grow spiritually. Her and I even went to church meetings together, and she really was the first person to take me to church and plant the seed in my head to learn about the word. But Nana was diagnosed with cancer in early early in 2015, and she passed on May 2, 2016. That was a really tough loss for me and the whole family. She had been right there my whole life, my brother’s whole life, and my cousins’ whole lives, she was there for all her grandchildren. We didn’t spread her ashes until that busy 2017 year I was talking about early, so it made that year even more bittersweet for me that she wasn’t there for any of it. But I released my first project, “Distortion,” on her birthday that year to honor her, August 2, 2017.
My Nanamom, my other Grandmother, passed the next year on November 26, 2018. So, both of my grandmothers passed within two years of each other. I didn’t get to spend as much time with Nanamom because she lived in North Carolina my whole life, but I’m really grateful for the time I did get with her and grateful she was able to see me graduate from college before she passed cause I know she was a scholar too! I’m really glad I was able to include a beautiful recording my cousin sent me of Nanamom singing on the record “6th Sense” from “Welcome to Forever” as well! I really wish her, and Nana could both hear the music I’m making today in person. Their losses were tough on everybody in the family, and I can see how they were the glue for so much in our family. I know a lot people who have lost family members or loved ones over these past few years too. I know grieving is never easy, but it’s necessary, and as cliche as it may sound, time really does heal all. I strive to honor both of my grandmothers with how I live my life every day. I know both of them are still with me spiritually, and I do my best to implement all the wisdom I learned from them and expand upon it through all of my work.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an Artist/Writer/Producer/Engineer. I love bringing different elements of sound and media together and making something fresh and new out of them. I love putting words together and playing with words. I love to get into the nitty gritty parts of technology and studio equipment to figure out how different devices work and what’s the best way to use or play them. I also love helping other artists write and bring their ideas to life as well.
In my music, I’d like to say I’m known for my lyricism, my voice and versatility. People tend to really like my beat selections and how I can pivot and switch up sounds or styles naturally without it feeling forced. I just enjoy a lot of different music, so I feel like I naturally fuse all the genres I really love together in any way I can when I’m creating: Hip-hop, Funk, Soul, Rock, and Jazz. All those genres influence me, and they all kind of derived from one another when you really dive into the history of music. And that’s something else that really influences my process: studying the history of music and media, diving into the different eras, and really seeing how we got to where we are today as a society. Cause they say art imitates life, and life imitates art, and I definitely see that when I observe the world!
I’d say what I’m most proud of about my art is that it’s multidimensional. It can make you dance, think, cry, mad, feel happy, sad, joyous, or inspired. I’ve seen it have all these different effects on people firsthand, and that’s what I’m most proud of. In my opinion, all the best artists truly make you feel and give you an experience. My favorite artists made me feel like I’m not alone in the world, but also were skilled enough to change my mind about a topic, or give me a different perspective about something I had never thought about. And that’s what I strive to do every time with my art. It’s not about who’s pumping out the most content or who’s crafted the most polished and “perfect” sound. It’s really about being impactful and learning about myself in the process of creating and helping others do the same when they listen. That’s what sets me and my mentality apart from others when it comes to creating.
What are your plans for the future?
Like I touched on a little bit earlier, we’ve been working on a Short Film and an EP for the last couple of years, and we’re in the process of finishing them both and getting them ready for release! Both projects have the same title, and they are meant to go hand in hand as brother or sister projects. I’m really excited to share these projects and touch on some themes in relationships, like control, fear, codependence, and character. I’ve had a great time creating these projects and have learned a lot about myself and relationships in the process. Also, I am really close to being done writing and recording the other project I mentioned earlier too. I’d say I’m about 75% done with that one, but I don’t want to give any timeline on when it’ll be coming. Just know it’s coming! Keep a lookout for some singles first!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/callmegak
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callmegak/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/callmegak
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/callmegak
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLtz47UIDEKlvk3YkjX3YVw?view_as=subscriber
Image Credits
Isabella Hanewinkel
Zanee Logan
Maurice Sanford
Andrea VanHuss
Brett Villarreal
