[Editor’s Note: The following article is part of BlackOut: A Five-Year Retrospective on Portland’s Racial Justice Movement, a joint publication from Donovan Scribes and the Portland Mercury. Written exclusively by Black Portlanders, the purpose of BlackOut is to remember and reflect on the May 25, 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, […]
Mac Smiff
Mac Smiff is a freelance music writer and curator specializing in Northwest Hip-Hop culture. In his spare time he enjoys getting hurt on the basketball court and being raised by children.
Posted inFall Arts 2022
Flashes of the 2020 Protests
The Portland Art Museum’s Perspectives celebrates photographers of color who captured the 2020 George Floyd protests, but images of police violence are strangely absent.
While Perspectives displays mostly images of hope, collaboration, and emotional explosion, it completely lacks examples of the police brutality that underscored the conflict and galvanized Portland’s protests.
Posted inMusic
Every One of Us Brings Madgesdiq-CEG to the Square, Return of the Day Fade And—Once Again—Raving about Fountaine
Madgesdiq-CEG play the Square on Saturday July 2 at community event Every One of Us Courtesy of the artist Hey Portlanders! It’s Mac, back once again with the goods on hip shows to see this weekend. Your regular music columnist, Jenni Moore, will soon return, but let’s allow her to enjoy her precious baby photo […]
Posted inMusic
Get Good in the Hood, Twerk It at Laffy Taffy, or Chill in with New Tracks from Lambo Lawson and Wynne
Lambo Lawson Produce Organic Records Well, America is ridiculous, but it’s Friday, and if you’re not in the streets you may want to shake off some of that rage energy on the dance floor. So your second-favorite music writer—as Jennifer Moore is on maternity leave—is back for another week of upcoming show picks. I’ll also […]
Posted inMusic
Packed Weekend of Shows with Roullette Delgato, HS.Dro, and a Wild Promotion from El Hempe
Roullette Delgato Jesus Garcia of Studio 23 Graphics Hello Mercury Music readers! It’s Mac Smiff, and I’ll be covering for our beloved Jennifer Moore while she takes some time to celebrate and bond with her adorable new baby! No worries, she’ll be back. But in the meantime you’ll have to put up with me. This […]
Posted inOpinion
Guest Editorial: What’s a New Year?
Mac Smiff Cameron Browne [In an effort to reflect on a very tumultuous year, the Mercury asked several Portlanders to look back on their 2020 and share how their lives have changed and what they’ve taken away from their experiences. Mac Smiff is a political activist, and the editor of We Out Here Magazine. Here […]
Posted inSneaker Wave
Local Hip-Hop News: Album Announcements from Wynne and Myke Bogan, and More!
Myke Bogan Tim Slew What’s wavy in the Portland hip-hop scene right now? Short answer: a lot. Let’s talk about it! Myke Bogan, Cult BeautyI got some great news this weekend that our beloved Portland import, Myke Bogan, is dropping a new 14-track album on October 18. Cult Beauty is the title of the rapper’s […]
Posted inMusic
The Latest in Portland Hip-Hop: Album Announcements from Wynne and Myke Bogan, and More!
The latest in Portland hip-hop.
Posted inMusic
Local Hip-Hop News: A Boat Party, Thirsty City Turns Five, New Music from Swiggle Mandela, and More!
What’s up, Mercury readers? I’m back to get you all up-to-date with what’s going on in the Portland rap/hip-hop world, where there’s always more than enough to talk about. Here are three local events and three music releases worth diving into. T.$poon, “Mud” Northeast Portland legend T.$poon has been putting out great music for about […]
Posted inMusic
The Latest in Portland Hip-Hop
A Hip-Hop Party on a Boat, Thirsty City Turns Five, New Music from Swiggle Mandela, and More!
A hip-hop party on a boat; Thirsty City turns five; new music from Swiggle Mandela, and more!
Posted inSneaker Wave
New Hip-Hop Releases from TROX, KayelaJ, SQVTCH, and more! Plus, An Update About Portland Hip-Hop Day.
Faithful Sneaker Wave readers, my babies. As the new Mercury music editor, I’m even busier than usual—busy kicking ASS, while simultaneously trying not to drown in an infinite sea of emails. Luckily, I’m not the only person who can cover Portland’s hotbed of hip-hop music and culture. BEHOLD: a column guest-written by writer and The […]
Posted inMusic
The Latest in Portland Hip-Hop
New drops from TROX, KayelaJ, SQVTCH, and more! Plus, An Update About Portland Hip-Hop Day.
BEHOLD: a column guest-written by writer and The Thesis co-founder Mac Smiff.