Jim McIngvale aka Mattress Mack is known for peddling furniture and placing big bets on major sports events.
But in recent days McIngvale is making headlines and drawing criticism for an insensitive commercial filled with racial stereotypical language and content that is being viewed as racist against Black people. In the now viral video, the owner of Gallery Furniture is captured wearing a folded purple bandanna and purple jacket and speaking in stereotypical dialect.
McIngvale uses hip-hop terminology, such as “Riding Dirty”, “Chopped and Screwed”, and references Houston rap legends Pimp-C and Lil Keke.
A caption in the commercial says, “Text Gangsta Mack … for your $600 off $2000 or more purchase from Gallery Furniture today! No more ridin’ dirty on that hand me down sofa! Leskeddit!!! 💪😈”
McIngvale tried to clear it up during an interview with Fox26, but doesn’t seem to help his cause at all.
But it doesn’t stop there. He pours Sprite into a cup and then adds Jolly Ranchers candy and makes reference to “lean,” which is a mixture of codeine and soda that became the drink of choice by some rappers in the city during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Houston rapper DJ Screw, who popularized the “purple drank” actually died from a codeine overdose in 2000.
McIngvale then suggests his customers to text the phone their phone number.
“Text me, Mattress Mack, your triple OG pahtna from the Nawf side,” he says. He also references Houston rap legends Chamillionaire, L’il Keke and Slim Thug, whom he calls “Slim Thugga.”
As you can imagine, the commercial featuring a man who has not bey shy about his conservative leanings has drawn much criticism on social media.