“No matter where life takes me, find me with a smile.” Throughout his too-short life, Mac Miller was a ray of sunshine to the music community. In these blog segments, I will be doing profiles on my favorite music artists, starting with Mac Miller. I will be talking about their lives, my favorite songs of theirs, and some of their social impacts.
Mac Miller was born in Pittsburgh, PA- just like me, so we both have that Pittsburgh pride! Mac talks about his love for Pittsburgh in many of his songs (“I always know where my home is, I’ve got a Pittsburgh state of mind”). He started singing and rapping early on, and released his first mixtape when he was just 14. Mac signed onto Pittsburgh’s Rostrum Records in 2010 at seventeen years old. He then released his new mixtape, K.I.D.S, and went on ‘The Incredibly Dope Tour” towards the end of 2010. From then on, he gained more popularity and continued releasing albums that were loved by many.
Mac’s untimely death came in 2018 due to a drug overdose. His death was obviously devastating to all of his loved ones, as well as his fans. His posthumous album, Circles, came out in 2020.
I love Mac Miller’s music because there is a song to encompass every mood, which I think is reflective of the different stages of his life as he grew up. K.I.D.S, with songs like “The Spins” and “Knock, Knock” is upbeat, youthful, and happy. My senior quote was from the song “Senior Skip Day”- “Enjoy the best things in your life, cause you ain’t gonna get to live it twice”. I especially think this quote is special with the context of his death, as this song shows his appreciation for the simple things during his life. I love this album because it always puts me in a good mood, especially to think about how young and happy he was when he wrote it.
On the other hand, one of my favorite songs, “Ascension”, from the album GO:OD AM, is soulful, introspective, and bittersweet. I see this song as his contemplation of life and death and struggle with his mind. Another one of my favorites, “Missed Calls”, from Blue Slide Park, is a sad song about missed love. Mac’s sound changes significantly throughout the years, and I think there are many songs, especially later on, that show his struggle with drugs and mental health. The song “Weekend”, is so interesting to me because of its upbeat tempo contrasted with the discussion of his dark thoughts and substance abuse.
Mac Miller was a gift to the music world who impacted and inspired many people with his talent and by being a genuine person.
I love that I can hear the passion you have for Mac Miller, and just for music in general, from start to finish. Even though the topic of my PAS posts is similar, it’s really interesting to see how we took them in different directions.
It’s great to see that you’re so genuinely passionate about a certain artist. While I’m not the biggest fan of most modern music, I’ve started listening to Mac Miller over the summer and I really like some of his music! It’s a shame that he passed so soon.
It’s great that you pointed out that each song encompasses a mood. If anyone who’s new to listening to Mac Miller learns of this before listening, they will listen closely to the lyrics and catch those lyrics that implies those moods. I never listened to his music, but music with meaning shines brightly.
I really loved how you really sectioned his career with different songs. Also, I loved how you made the connection between his music and him as an individual.