In the early 2010s, Kevin McCall was on his way to legendary status, with the world singing along to Chris Brown hits like “Deuces” and “Strip.” Today, the Grammy-nominated songwriter finds himself back in the spotlight, but not for a chart-topping record. This time, it’s for a heartfelt confession and please that has gone viral.
Kevin McCall aka K-MAC, an R&B singer-songwriter best known for co-writing some of Chris Brown’s biggest early hits, and his own mixtape releases, recently appeared on the Back On Figg podcast. Here, he opened up about the highs, lows, and heartbreaks of his music career. During the show, McCall shocked both the hosts and viewers when he pulled out an EBT card, revealing that he’s currently on food stamps.
“Why the f*ck I got an EBT card?” he asked with a shaky voice before breaking down in tears. The emotional moment quickly spread across social media, sparking conversations about artist compensation, mental health, the dark side of fame, and criticisms.
Who Is Kevin McCall – From “Deuces” to Dues Unpaid
Kevin Lamar McCall Jr., born July 25, 1985, in Los Angeles, was once one of R&B’s brightest behind-the-scenes stars. After signing with Chris Brown under a joint venture with RCA Records in 2012, McCall co-wrote and performed on several chart-toppers, including “Deuces” (featuring Tyga), “No BS,” and “Strip.” “Deuces” was initially McCall’s song, which is how he ends up appearing on the track as well.
Both songs dominated the charts, with “Deuces” peaking at No. 14 and “Strip” reaching No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. McCall also went on tour with Chris around that time. Yet, despite his contribution, McCall says the financial rewards were slow to come in, and they faded long ago.
Kevin McCall Viral Podcast Appearance
During the podcast, McCall claimed he’s still owed $25,000 from his work on four of Brown’s songs. “Can I get $25K for them four songs I owe you?” he pleaded. He went on to point out the irony of Brown currently performing those same records on his sold-out Breezy Bowl XX tour. The tour reportedly racked in over $100 million.
How The Public Took Kevin McCall’s Emotional Breakdown
We must admit, seeing Kevin McCall break down in tears struck a chord online. While some fans empathized with his vulnerability, others were far less forgiving.
“Dude burnt that bridge, spent all your money trying to keep up with that lifestyle and now you’re crying and slobbering on camera begging for 25K. Pathetic,” one X user wrote.
Dude burnt that bridge, spent all your money trying to keep up with that lifestyle and now you’re crying and slobbering on camera begging for 25K. Pathetic
— AJ (@_AJGrant) October 22, 2025
Another quipped, “Ok, so he spent all his money and tried to let everyone know he was the star instead of playing his role—now you’re broke.”
Ok, so he spent all his money and tried to let everyone know he was the star instead of playing his role now you’re broke 🫥
— Marco Watts (@MarcoWatts_) October 21, 2025
Still, many praised McCall for his honesty. His openness about mental health and financial struggles resonated with fans who appreciated his vulnerability.
Kevin McCall and Chris Brown Fallout
This isn’t the first time McCall has spoken openly about his challenges. In a 2021 interview with DJ Vlad, he revealed that he once battled suicidal thoughts. He also blamed his fallout with Chris Brown on “fake people” who began surrounding the singer after “Strip.”
Before that in 2019 he posted a series of social media posts aimed at Chris, threatening him over money owed and calling him out.
Even back then Chris responded in the most petty way on social media.
Old video resurfaces of Chris Brown flexing on Kevin McCall with all the cars he bought with his money, saying
“I bought this with your money.” 😂
pic.twitter.com/oj31gnC362— My Mixtapez (@mymixtapez) October 21, 2025
So it was no surprise that Chris posted another petty post seemingly aimed at Kevin on social media after McCall’s viral podcast appearance.
Chris Brown claps back at Kevin McCall’s viral video on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/jglTmeKwtb
— BreezyRelated (@BreezyRelated) October 22, 2025
Kevin McCall and Eva Marcille Drama
The Chris Brown fallout was not McCall’s only public fallout. He publicly dated Eva Marcille for a couple years, right around the time of the Chris Brown situation, which also involved him being temporarily signed to RCA Records. She is also the mother of his child Marley Rae Sterling (Eva had her name legally changed from McCall).
In 2014, Eva filed a restraining order against Kevin. According to TMZ the restraining order was due to alleged physical abuse she suffered from him, specifically while she was holding their daughter, who was an infant at the time. Their relationship has never been repaired, and the irony is that some of the debt McCall was talking about on the podcast is due to the child support payments he owes Eva.
McCall tried to sue Eva for child support and custody back in 2019, but the case was dismissed by the judge after McCall missed deadlines. He was subsequently arrested.
Meanwhile, Eva is doing just fine. We interviewed Eva this past summer while she was on tour with the Jason’s Lyric stage play.
