The Guildford wordsmith channels Tupac’s narrative flair on a track that bridges bedroom-studio rawness with polished ambition.

The Guildford-born rapper Mackzwell uses his new single “Hoodwinked” to enter the UK rap scene after graduating from ACM where he seeks to establish his presence through catchy street-rap stories. The single Hoodwinked came out independently on March 15th 2025 while partnering artist Vega Jane and producer Slice helped create this song which serves two functions: to reintroduce Mackzwell to listeners and announce his musical direction. Taking the same approach as Tupac Shakur to fuse socially aware messaging with radio-friendly sound design Mackzwell presents an addictive story about deception.

Hoodwinked was created throughout various home recording studios allowing the music to capitalize on its mixing of styles. The mixing by Slice lifts up the song’s basic components that use rattling snares along with a bass which pulsates like an anxious heart while Vega Jane provides the track with her comforting vocal harmonies above Mackzwell’s stern rapping style. The combination of raw and produced elements in the music creates a unique auditory experience that shows how Mackzwell uses his ACM-trained skills.