Mac Miller

Malcolm James McCormick, known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper, songwriter and record producer that recently died of a drug overdose in September of 2018.

Early Life

The late, great Mac Miller was born on January 19, 1992 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His mother Karen Meyers and his father Mark McCormick named him Malcolm James. His father was Christian; however, Malcolm was raised Jewish, following his mother’s church. Miller’s faith was quite important to him throughout his life, and he was later called “the best Jew in the rap game” by Drake.

He spent most of his childhood in the Point Breeze area of Pittsburgh, where there was never a dull moment. When he wasn’t playing football or lacrosse, he was experimenting with music. By the time he was six-years-old, he had self-taught himself the piano, drums, bass and guitar, without spending a single dime on music lessons.

The Start

Before he was Mac Miller, he was EZ Mac. When he was only 14-years-old, Miller started rapping, and he joined a rap group named The III Spoken while he was attending Taylor Allderdice High School. Together they released a mixtape called But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy. Before Miller started rapping, her wanted to be a singer, and in 2007, Miller’s vision shifted.

“Once I hit 15, I got real serious about it and it changed my life completely… I used to be into sports, playing all the sports, go to all the high school parties. But once I found out hip-hop is almost like a job, that’s all I did,”
-Miller explained

By 2009, he established himself as Mac Miller and dropped three more mixtapes: How High, The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown and The High Life. Later in 2009, Miller also participated in the MC competition at Shadow Lounge. He was featured among the final four in Rhyme Calisthenics. When Miller was just 18-years-old, he won 21 & Under of the Year and Best Hip Hop Video for “Live Free” at the 2010 Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards.

K.I.D.S

Things changed for Miller when he signed on to independent label Rostrum Records in 2010. He was only 18-years-old and some of the best music labels in the country were fighting over him. Luckily for Rostrum Records, they had what other labels couldn’t offer Miller: they were based in his hometown and in association with Wiz Khalifa, a personal hero to the young Mac Miller. How could he have said no? In the same year Miller released his first mixtape, K.I.D.S, under Rostrum Records. The tape was inspired by the film ‘Kids’.

This was a big year for firsts for Miller. He had a break through with social media engagement and he embarked on his first tour. ‘The Incredibly Dope Tour’ was a massive success, and every venue was sold out. He also released his first single called ‘Knock Knock’s’ on YouTube. Similar to his proceeding works, it went instantly viral.

Best Day Ever

In February of 2011, Miller was one of eleven rappers featured in XXL’s annual “Freshman Class” list. A month later he released his fifth mixtape, Best Day Ever. Peaking at No. 75, his single “Donald Trump” became his first song on the US Billboard Hot 100. Later that year he also released a 13-song mixtape called I Love Life, Thank You and a 6-track EP called On and On and Beyond, which became his first entry at No. 55 into the US Billboard 200 albums chart.

p.s. If you haven’t seem the “Best Day Ever” music video it’s truly incredible. Watch it below

Blue Slide Park

His first album, Blue Slide Park, was a wild success and was ranked No. 1 on Billboard 200, which was the first album to do since The Dogg Pound’s 1995 Dogg Food. Released in November of 2011, 144,000 copies had been sold within the first week and was certified gold in the US and Canada. Three of the album’s songs, “Smile Back”, No. 55, “Frick Park Market”, No. 60, and “Party on Fifth Ave.”, No. 64, all charted on the Billboard Hot 100.

Macadelic

Miller released his 7th mixtape, Macadelic, in March of 2012. The album’s single, “Loud”, peaked at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year in March he also dropped an EP named You, under the alias Larry Lovestein & The Velvet Revival. The EP featured a more jazzy tone than what his fans were accustomed to.

Watching Movies with the Sound Off

His sophomore album Watching Movies with the Sound Off was released in June 2013. Selling 102,000 copies in its first week, the album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Following the production of his new album, Miller was featured on a two-season, six-episode MTV2 reality series called Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family.

Also in 2013, Miller released his mixtape, Run-On Sentences Vol. 1, and featured in Ariana Grande’s single “The Way”. The single peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was Miller’s highest peak on the list. Under the name Delusional Thomas, he self-produced and released his mixtape of the same name. He also released the live album, Live from Space, and the mixtape Stolen Youth in collaboration with Vince Staples.

In the same year he created him own record label named REMember Music, named after a friend of his who had died. A year later in January of 2014 he severed his ties with Rostrum Records when his contract expired. In May of 2014, Miller independently released his 10th solo mixtape, Faces. Warner Bros. Records signed a recording contract and distribution deal with Miller for his personal recording label REMember Music for $10 million later that year.

GO:OD AM

GO:OD AM dropped in September 2015 with Warner Bros. Records. It hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200, with 87,000 units. The album and the single “Weekend”, featuring American singer Miguel, were certified gold and platinum by the RIAA.

The Divine Feminine

Miller released his next album, The Divine Feminine, in September of 2016. It explored the emotion of love. The album incorporated genres such as R&B, jazz and funk, and it featured Miller singing nearly as much as rapping. The Divine Feminine debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Swimming

His final album was released on August 3, 2018, selling 66,000 units. Swimming explores Miller’s own heartbreak and mental health. It received positive reviews from critics and reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, marking his fifth consecutive top five-charting album release in the U.S. After his death in September of 2018, the single “Self Care” rose to No, 33 on the Billboard hot 100, his highest peak as lead artist. The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

p.s. The music video for Miller’s single, “Self Care”, is a must watch. Watch it below.

Death

Mac Miller had struggled with substance abuse throughout his career and had spoken openly about it in the past. His early career was marked by a dependence on lean- a mixture of promethazine and codeine- though he was able to kick the habit for a time. Miller went through bouts of sobriety, but started drinking again in 2018. On September 7, 2018, Mac Miller died from a drug overdose. According to the L.A. County Coroner’s Office, the 26-year-old rapper’s death was the result of mixed drug toxicity. Fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol were prevalent in the rapper’s system.

Miller’s death in September came at the critical apex of his career — his latest album, Swimming, was widely considered to be his best, and an indication that he had far more to offer as an artist. Following his passing, a tribute concert was held in his honor, benefitting the newly founded Mac Miller Circles Fund, a charity established in his name. Travis Scott, Chance The Rapper, SZA and more performed at the show, and many of Miller’s friends and collaborators weighed in with what made him a talented artist.

Posthumous Releases

On June 20th, 2019, Grammy-winning producer and rapper 88-Keys dropped his first solo song of 8 years, which featured the late Mac Miller. In the new single, titled “That’s Life” (also featuring Sia), Miller reflects on his past and smiles lovingly, letting his fans know that everything is going to be okay, despite the bumps he hit along the way. The track was originally recorded in New York City while Miller and 88-Keys were in the studio together.

Miller’s first official posthumous verse was released earlier this month in the Free Nationals’ “Time”, also featuring Kali Uchis. Miller made peace with past relationships, singing that “in the end, everything will be fine, that’s by design.”