In the wake of recent partings, Mac Lethal says: “Coffee is for closers.”

In the run-up to next weekend’s Black Clover Beerfest at the Riot Room on September 17 and 18, I’s doing a little catch-up reporting — or trying to — on Mac Lethal‘s recent two-fisted split with (1) Rhymesayers Entertainment, the label that released 11:11, and (2) with Seattle rapper Grieves, who recently parted ways with Mac’s Black Clover Records.

The Rhymesayers split wasn’t surprising, given how many different versions of 11:11 the Minnesota label made Mac record before settling on the one that got released in October 2007 — not to mention the bevy of Love Potion Collection releases that Mac released himself on the side through BCR. (Also, in case ya didn’t know, Lethal released The Original 11:11 Sessions on disc as part of the Black Clover Barrel-Aged Series.) In short, Mac Lethal was going to put his music out, Rhymesayers or no.

In a Lethalville.net forum post a few weeks ago titled “The Rhymesayers situation + this other thing,” Mac wrote:

I have absolutely no desire to be apart of any other record label. Rhymesayers was always the only label I ever wanted to be apart of, and I am thankful they gave me the opportunity. It is a completely amicable decision, and I am proud to have been apart of their movement.

And then, without naming Grieves:

A certain someone left Black Clover. I could write 28 paragraphs of an explanation, but why?

I think for nearly the last 2 years I have done nothing but co-sign and promote this cat. I have stuck my neck out for him and made sure everyone in my reach knew who he was. In fact, today when discussing ideas for a few West Coast shows (involving a very large British rapper, more info soon ) with Charles De Mar, I realized that for the last 2 years, all I have done is tour so my Black Clover Family could be on the road getting exposure.

A part of the reason that I left Rhymesayers in the first place was so I could land this killer distribution deal Black Clover now has. Understandably Rhymesayers couldn’t allow me to do that AND be an RSE artist, so they granted me the decision to leave and pursue my own dreams, respectively. But I find it weird that I have given so much of myself out to other people.

Earlier today, when I asked Mac via e-mail if he had any further comment on Grieves leaving, he sent me the following MP3, without comment — save for the MP3’s file name, which was kind of a comment…

If you’re unfamiliar with that audio sample, slap yourself. Then get a copy of the film Glengarry Glen Ross. It’s a telling snippet of Alec Baldwin’s famous “Coffee is for closers” monologue, which I have embedded, just for you, after the jump.