Mac Miller: Most Dope

Pittsburgh’s own, Malcolm McCormick, was born on January 19th, 1992 and was raised in the area of Point Breeze. Mac Miller grew up with a fascination of in music. He taught himself how to play a large variety of instruments ever since the age of 6 years old.

Malcolm attended the infamous Taylor Allderdice High School which was the alma mater of other rappers, Wiz Khalifa and Pittsburgh Slim. Mac did not attend Taylor Allderdice at the same time as those rappers but had heavy influence from both of them.

Malcolm first started his passion for rap music when he released his first mixtape, But My Mackin’ Aint Easy, under the alias EZ Mac at the age of 15 years old. He later joined a rap group in Pittsburgh by the name of the Ill Spoken. They released the joint mixtape, How High one year later in 2008.

In 2009, Mac Miller released two more mixtapes, The High Life and The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown. His three solo mixtapes and collaborative mixtape picked up significant traction both inside and outside of the Pittsburgh area. His popularity grew to a point where he was offered a record deal by Rostrum Records, located in Pittsburgh, in 2010.

In August of 2010, he released another mixtape titled K.I.D.S. which is an acronym for “Kicking Incredibly Dope Sh-t.” This mixtape is viewed as one of Mac’s best projects, containing songs such as “Nikes on my Feet,” “The Spins,” “Knock Knock,” and “Kool Aid and Frozen Pizza.”

In 2011, he released one more mixtape as a promotional piece to his debut album. The mixtape was titled, Best Day Ever which featured his hit song, “Donald Trump.” His debut album, Blue Slide Park, came on November 8th, 2011 and contained songs such as “Party of Fifth” and “Smile Back.” Blue Slide Park, debuted as the number one album on the Billboard 200 and sold over 100,000 first week units.

He released his sophomore album in June 2013, titled Watching Movies With the Sound Off.” The album contained singles such as “Matches (Feat. Ab Soul),” “Red Dot Music (Feat. Action Bronson),” and “Watching Movies.” The album went gold, selling 500,000 plus copies in total.

After the release of his second album, he announced his departure from Rostrum Records and signed $10 million dollar deal with Warner Bros. Records in 2014. Prior to his deal with Warner Bros. he released another mixtape titled Faces. This album showed a darker side of Malcolm, with a lot of messages covering his substance abuse with cocaine and other hard drugs. The tape had mixed reviews but aged well over time as people appreciated the art in such dark messages. Faces featured songs such as “Insomniac” and “Diablo.”

Mac Millers first album under Warner Bros. was released in 2015, titled GO:OD AM, which was placed at number five on the Billboard 200 and ultimately went gold, selling over 500,000 units. The album featured hit songs such as “Weekend (Feat. Miguel)” and “100 Grandkids.”

Mac Miller was sober when he released GO:OD AM and discussed his path to sobriety in multiple interviews. Following the release of his album, he found himself in a relationship with actress and pop star Ariana Grande.

Ariana and Mac first appeared on the same song together in 2013 titled, “The Way.” Mac later released his album, the Divine Feminine, which was a change of pace in relation to his prior album. The album was a love album in a sense, containing less rap and more singing from the artist. Songs such as, “Favorite Part,” “Cinderella,” and “Dang!” The album was released in 2016.

Mac Miller and Ariana Grande broke things off in May of 2018. At this time, Mac Miller broke his sobriety and found himself using again. Mac Miller’s final album was titled, Swimming, and was released on August 3rd, 2018. This album had a very different vibe than those prior. Again, it was not very rap heavy. The production was very cinematic and executed flawlessly. The songs seemed to reflect on his life and struggles with mental health. It seemed like his finale, the end of an amazing career and a beautiful life.

Mac Miller passed away on September 7th, 2018. Malcolm was found unresponsive in his home in his home studio. The cause of death was a large amount of fentanyl that was found in his coke. “Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent.” - National Institute of Drug Abuse. This drug is commonly laced in many illicit drugs and has taken the life of other artists such as Lil Peep and Prince.

Mac Miller is missed by many. His music had a significant impact on many people across the globe. Many artists and fans were heartbroken by the loss Malcolm McCormick. His careless personality and love for others has been expressed and exemplified by his friends and peers. His music continues to remind us of his God-given talent and we are forever grateful for the gifts that he shared with us. Rest in peace, Malcolm McCormick.