Malcolm James McCormick or Mac Miller was born January 19th 1992 in the Berg. He signed his first deal with Rostrum Records at the age of fifteen after creating his first hit mix-tape KIDS. Ever since that first mix-tape Mac recorded and produced hit album after hit album until his last one Swimming, which was awarded a Grammy nomination posthumously in 2018. These 8 tracks take you on journey through the beginning of Mac’s hip-hop career, from the teenager loving life, to the rise to fame, struggles with fame, struggles with relationships and drug addiction, to his final album Swimming where Mac tries to find meaning in his life. This musical journey is not only represented through Mac’s growth in lyrical ability and different stories through rap, but also through the evolution of Mac’s production ability to simple synthy beats, to the addition of new flows through sampling and mixtures of instruments. Mac Miller will always be one of my favorite rappers as his new music was always unlike any hip-hop you had heard before.
“Nike’s on My feet” (2010)
“Nike’s on My feet” from the album KIDS (Kickin Incredibly Dope Shit) is a special track that was a major kick starter to his career. What I love, is that this is a track from a Mac Miller not dealing with drug abuse, or the issues that come with fame, but just a kid loving life and you can hear it from the up tempo synth beat to Mac Miller rhyming about being with the homies and the vision of getting to the top starting with Nike’s on his feet.
“Donald Trump” (2011)
“Donald Trump” from Mac Miller’s album Best Day Ever, is the track that brought this album to the fame it has today. This track displays the ending of Mac’s high school career and the beginning of Mac taking over the rap game as he compares himself to Trump with the chorus: “Taking over the world while I’m on my Donald Trump shit, look at all this money ain’t that some shit”. Mac raps about how his life has changed and the success that has come with his hip-hop career. The rapping is over Sufjan Stevens “Vesuvius” a beat that bounces and flows harmoniously with Mac’s enthralling rapping.
“Thought from a Balcony” (2012)
“Thought from a Balcony” From Mac Miller’s Macadellic album takes a deep look into Mac’s life and how the world would be without him. This is again another song about Mac Miller taking over the rap game, but, with an audible transition in Mac’s music depicting a struggle with the power.
“Aquarium” (2013)
“Aquarium” from Mac Miller’s Watching Movies with the Sound Off can be seen as some inspiration for Mac’s album swimming, with slower wavy beats and lyrics displaying Mac’s struggles with depression. Mac talks about his life getting lost in an aquarium and how drugs numb him from his reality “Sedatives that take me to God / witness his fetishes / We all in search for substance, that drugs you pain and numbness.”. If you are a fan of Mac Miller, this song mat make you cry.
“Weekend” ft. Miguel (2015)
“Everything’ll be good by the weekend”. “Weekend” from GO:OD AM is like many of Mac Miller’s songs, to just have a good time. Intro’d with a smooth piano chord progression and a yawning Mac. Mac Miller talks about being tired dealing with struggles with women and the work load that comes with being a hip-hop superstar “I’ve been having trouble sleepin battling this demons”, but when the weekend comes everything will be alright as the beat an melody jumps into a joyful jumpy piano riff with the chorus going “everything will be good by the weekend”.
“Dang!” (2016)
One of Mac Miller song’s about losing love, but not getting frustrated about it. Just confused what he can do to get her back with the chorus “I can’t keep on losing you”. There is also a sense of confusion between love and meaningless hook ups, as Mac goes as far as quoting Kendrick with “This dick ain’t free”. This track with many others from GO:OD AM show Mac’s recovery from depression as he lets happiness flow from his creativity. This amazing production behind this track comes from Pomo which Mac and Paak use as a show case to the song with the groovy jazzy pumping beat.
“Ladders” (2018)
“Ladders” from Mac Miller’s album swimming, is a great euphoric sounding melody and beat through jazzy horns and a bouncy flow. Mac describes the way to keep moving on “Some how we gotta find a way, no matter how many miles it takes” he struggles with the meaning of life as do so many. How to make the most of your time every day is the question Mac keeps asking, but somehow knows the answer better than anyone else as he raps “waking up and I open my eyes do you mind if I blow your mid”. It’s is sad that this one of Mac’s last tracks ever created as, he died later in the year from a drug overdose. Swimming will be known as Mac Miller’s best album as somehow Mac is able to connect with the listener on a deep and personal level.
“Self Care” (2018)
“Self Care” from Mac Miller’s last album swimming is another journey through Mac’s Mind going through his recent break up with Ariana Grande leading to a DUI. Unfortunately Mac fled this DUI and put himself further into a hole of depression and confusion as he says “I’ve been reading them signs,I’ve been losing my, I’ve been losing my mind”. Mac is trying to figure himself out, nut is in no rush to do so because “for now I’m just chillin”. This track is produced by Nostxglic and DJ Dahi creating a breezy melody to accompany a slow moving beat and Mac who adds a sloppy sounding flow, however, seems to blend perfectly with the beat to create one of his most famous songs.
Although Mac has left this planet, his music has not and will continue to inspire people and empathize with the struggles many face everyday. Whenever, I am in a bad mood or in my feels I can throw some Mac on and he’ll be my therapy and help me know that whatever I am going through I’m not alone.
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