Sep 10, 2018 An imprint that changed lives.
For better or for worse, our favorite musicians evolve. Everybody wants the old ‘Ye. But on the flipside, Mac Miller was always evolving and with his latest album, Swimming, it seemed like the best was yet to come.
Unfortunately we won’t get to see the Pittsburgh native progress and grow. Mac was found dead at his home in Los Angeles in an apparent drug overdose. He was 26.
Mac’s breakthrough happened in 2010 with his mixtape, K.I.D.S. (Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Shit), which had hit songs like “Nikes on My Feet” and “Kool-Aid & Frozen Pizza”. The mixtape was the launching pad for the rest of his career, which ultimately lead to his first LP, Blue Slide Park. Although commercially successful and the first independent album to debut at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 since 1995, it was not well received critically. Most infamously known for Pitchfork’s review, which gave the album a 1.0 out of 10, Mac took the criticisms to heart and went back to the drawing board.
Miller’s skills not just a rapper but as a musician expanded and matured. Under the alias Larry Fisherman, Miller produced Vince Staples Stolen Youth mixtape and his LA mansion became the go-to spot to collaborate and work with artists such as Earl Sweatshirt, Anderson .Paak, Thundercat and Schoolboy Q known to be regulars.
In 2013, Mac Miller dropped Watching Movies with the Sound Off. The album was a total shift from his earlier music. He starts singing on the album, with spacey and loopy production. Mac said in an interview about the album “it’s very introspective and very personal so it’s kind of throwing it all out there and seeing what happens.” The critical acclaim from the album was also just as drastic as sonics, drawing praise from Rolling Stone and Pitchfork for example.
Mac has always been pretty upfront on his issues with drug addiction and depression. Using his music as therapy, the honesty of it all resonated with fans. In interviews he’s been candid about his drug use, troubles with rehab, anxieties and premature death.
We should love and appreciate idols and icons while they’re alive but the outpouring of love and amazing stories of Mac’s love, humor, and humility are overflowing all over social media. Mac Miller’s influence over today’s music landscape should not go unnoticed and his music will live on forever.
There will be a vigil for Mac Miller in his hometown of Pittsburgh at Blue Slide Park on September 11th. For more information, email the address found on its Facebook page.