Today, I’d like to focus on this single song, but there is a fair amount of background needed here, so I’ll do my damndest to bring you up to speed. It’s also worth sharing, that up to this point, I think this is my favorite song released all year, regardless of genre or country. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the car and listened to this on repeat for a half hour plus. But let’s get into it!
Mucktar Khan, better known as MizOrMac is a member of the UK Drill group Harlem Spartans, who are from Kennington, South London. Back in 2016 and 2017, they blew up and became arguably the most influential groups in the scene, as songs like “Kennington Where it Started” and “Call Me a Spartan,” did massive numbers on Youtube and put a spotlight on drill that really didn’t exist before they rose to prominence. To this day, I don’t think there is a group that has as much influence and respect in all of the UK drill scene. They legitimately started a movement, to the point where Drake even credited the Spartan artist Loski as a massive influence as he started to unceremoniously dip his genre stealing toes into UK Drill. (WOOOOO FIRST DRAKE DISS) It’s the first group I heard of when I started to show a real interest a few years ago as well.
However, just as their momentum was picking and their exposure was at it’s highest, Miz and fellow Spartan, Blanco, were sent to prison. On February 15th, 2017 their taxi was pulled over, with Miz being found to have body armor on and in possession of a gun. Blanco, real name Joshua Eduardo, was found hiding a samurai sward in his pants. Miz was sentenced to 6 years, and Blanco to 3 and a half. Just as they were ready to legitimately take things over, it was taken away just as quickly.
During MizOrMac’s time in prison, the tragedy continued. On July 25th, 2018, fellow Spartan Latwaan Griffiths, or Latz, was stabbed to death. Next year, just months before Miz was set to be released early, Crosslon Davis, better known as Bis, was also stabbed to death at the age of 20. It’s worth noting that these weren’t simply guys who made music together. These were childhood friends who did damn near everything together. They were closer to brothers than just friends, as I think a lot of us can relate to that human experience. So compounding the halt of his career, Miz also was forced to grieve for two of his best friends while he was locked up, unable to attend their funerals; Unable to see their parents, who had to be like parents to him as well. All he could do was think and sit with that pain all alone in prison, surrounded by more of his rivals than friends. The Youtuber Ape Huncho does very detailed videos on crime and current events in the drill scene that are as informative as they are difficult to stomach.
I know that’s a fair bit of information, but it is hugely important when it comes to understanding the anticipation to Miz’s first song after being released and really feeling where Miz is coming from on “Return of the Mac.”
The song begins with a somber keys on what sounds like an electric piano, and a smooth flute line. Immediately, this feels miles away from the dark drill Miz and the Spartans were predominately known for. After 3 years away, we finally hear his voice, shouting out his fallen friends before getting into his verse. If you have listened to any of his previous music, his voice and flow stand out, and as many people pointed out, because it is very different from his typical delivery. I guess you could say it isn’t a “typical” drill flow. It’s fast, snappy, and honestly, his accent and pace make it a little difficult to catch exactly what he’s saying 100% of the time. Hell, I had to clarify a few lines as I began putting this together and I’ve lost track as to how many times I’ve listened to it. Here is the link to the lyrics if you need them as well.
His rapping begins with the chorus of the song, and we hear him addressing the general surprise and shock that he’s actually back home. This isn’t a drill. Miz is free, and he wants to let everyone know it’s for real. Additionally, we start to see the conflict and duality of what Miz is going through on the song. “Can’t wait to return to my camp/ Bring about this back, turn the South to Iraq,” he raps, as it’s clear this isn’t strictly a celebratory song. In his eyes, there’s still work to be done on the streets. All throughout the track, we see this mixture of grief and sadness, juxtaposed with anger and the need for revenge.
As he get’s into his first verse, we get a dose of the pain he feels after losing two of his best friends. I legitimately get goosebumps every single time hearing him rap “Life’s really been about 3’s, and RIP’s, it’s turnin’ me mad/ When I think about Bis, I scream/ I try go sleep and then I see Latz.” (3’s is another way of saying free, so basically he’s saying almost all of his energy these days goes to wishing his friends were free, or mourning.) It’s hard to imagine exactly what that feels like, even if you have lost someone before, but Miz does a great job of transferring that visceral, inescapable pain from his heart into yours. He touches on influence he had on the scene before letting us know that, “These years been far from brilliant/ All of them tears put a villain in me/ Now all my friends that were Kennington/ Now a lot of them ain’t really with me.” Again, the pain and the anger are side by side at all times, swirling and mixing until they are practically indiscernible from one another.
He then announces “New paragraph,” signifying he has more to say. He has “deep thoughts” that force him to “think about the past” and then once again exclaims that “Biskit, I miss him to the core.” Miz uses the rest of this verse to shout out and pay tribute to other Spartans and friends that are currently behind bars, which get’s dizzying after a while. I feel like I’ve said this before, but I truly is tough to imagine trying to cope and come to terms with that as your reality.
In addition to a shoutout to Mark Morrison, who created the original “Return of the Mack” song, we get more insight into the conflict that Miz feels when it comes to returning to the same lifestyle that got him locked in the first place. He clearly understands what comes with, and has experienced firsthand, all of the terrible sides of living such a life. And yet, he still states that “now it’s back to my life of violence,” and confesses that he “grew up with knives and impatience.” He goes on to invoke the movie 300 by stating that “Every Individual Spartan a Militant/ 300 against a thousand immigrants.” This furthers the idea that despite all of the pain he’s gone through, he still see’s him being free as a redeployment to the warzone, with the compulsion for revenge above everything else. “But the truth is pride and fighting/ ‘Cah I’d rather ride than write ‘em,” makes that sentiment clear. And yet, despite fighting his opps and the Metropolitan Police force, “Any tears in my eyes, I’m hidin’/ For the family I gotta keep smiling,” shows his grasp of the gravity of his situation. He has others that he needs to support and be there for. That, however, doesn’t stop him from describing the way he hopes to pull up on someone in the very next line.
As easy as it may be for some to be like, “wow look at all your talent, why are you even considering going back into the violent life that led to your friends dying?” it’s obviously much more complicated than that. I for one can never fully understand what he went through– what he continues to go through– and frankly think it’s bullshit if you choose to judge him whatsoever. What we aren’t going to do here, in this article, or on this blog in general, especially with me being well aware I’m just some white dude from the suburbs in Wisconsin, is pass judgment on Miz, or any artist we discuss here. We aren’t going to act like some ignorant politician or Ben Shapario’s dumbass and choose to be ignorant about another human beings experiences, and how that would color someone’s music or art. I can say however, that I hope with all of my heart, that he doesn’t get wrapped back up into that life, because we all know what the worst case scenario would be. But in the end, those are his decisions to make, and when you’re fueled by so much pain, anger, confusion, and rage, I get how those decisions may not seem rational to the greater public. They certainly won’t seem rational to a third party who can’t comprehend what going through that was like. Hell, I think any of us would be lying if we didn’t admit there was at least a chance that we would feel similarly if we went through what Miz has. All we can do, as fans and supporters, is to wish the best for him and his family.
I would be insane not to touch on how the music video intensifies the subject matter Miz is addressing in the track. Throughout the video, we see him express child-like happiness as he spins circles immediately after being released from prison, to seeing his friends, then visiting the grave sites of Bis and Latz for presumably the very first time, and surprising members of both his own family, as well as what I would assume are Bis and Latz’ family members as well. Remember, these are childhood friends, and it’s easy to understand how close they must have been with each others’ families. Take into account the various images of Bis and Latz when they were younger, and it all adds up for an extremely emotional presentation. There is a specific scene that Miz recreates from their iconic “Kennington Where it Started” video, where we see him walking out of the Kennington train station. Here, we see how the station itself has changed, just as Miz’s demeanor has. He’s back home, where it all started, but things are so different now. People are gone. The surroundings themselves have changed. It simply isn’t the same anymore.
Above all, this song and it’s video are admirable and beautiful. Miz easily could’ve came out with a drill banger like all of his fans most likely wanted, as the slight “backlash” to the style he chose shows. Instead, he created what functions as a tribute to his lost friends. He puts the priority of remembering and honoring them above everything else. We hear his pain, as this is the first time he’s truly been able to express the immense grief to anyone but a jail cell wall, fighting through the demons and conflict that come with all of these emotional experiences. It’s technically phenomenal from a rapping and production standpoint, and that just puts it over the top. Miz’s emotion carries this song, and you can feel the spirits of Bis and Latz in the background. This isn’t just me grasping at straws, as Miz says, “Latz notes, every lyric I’m tellin em.” Miz envisions Latz listening to the song, taking in the lyrics as they were coming to Miz’s head in the first place. It’s a powerful image, and even though they’re gone, Miz is still writing these songs with Latz, with Bis, not just about them. This work of art stands as a testament that this will always be the case for Miz. Even when Miz get’s the shine and recognition he deserves, and hopefully gets back the same level he was at previously, he will do absolutely everything in his power to bring his lost friends with him.
As always, I have MizOrMac’s socials and Spotify linked below. He did recently drop a few new songs, a solo track called “Say Mizzy,” and “On Me,” with fellow Spartan Loski. They stand as returns to his drill origins, and are certainly worth checking out.
Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment or a like if you enjoyed this breakdown of MizOrMac’s “Return of the Mac.”