Two Years Without Mac Miller
On September 7th, we were reminded of the tragic death of Mac Miller two years ago to the day.
Artists and friends of Miller (such as Thundercat, Chance The Rapper, Juicy J and more) poured their hearts out on social media with tributes to the rapper. To read stuff like this only reminds me of the impact Mac had on so many people while he was alive. But what has been truly awe-inspiring is his everlasting impact; even after death.
Prior to Miller’s death, he released his most critically-acclaimed album to date in Swimming, a masterful and incredibly honest piece of work. The GRAMMY-nominated album was highlighted by tracks like Hurt Feelings, Self Care, and Small Worlds. Mac Miller had always been known as a rapper, but on this album, Miller wasn't afraid to steer away from a usual hip-hop sound and lean into a jazzier vibe; with more singing than rapping. The melodic album was considered to be the pinnacle of his career, making it all the more haunting that his passing came right before a worldwide tour promoting the album alongside JID and Thundercat.
Just when we thought we would never hear another new Mac Miller song (besides leaks on Soundcloud), it was revealed that Miller was deep into recording a companion album to Swimming titled Circles, which was released on January 17th, 2020. At the most, I expected a compilation of random and unreleased tracks to be put out posthumously. Instead, we received one more album that Miller was creating as a cohesive body of work. In my opinion, Circles is his best project, the perfect sequel to Swimming.
Even after two years, it still does not feel real. Mac Miller was the archetypal role model for so many people, and still is to this day. He obviously had his struggles, but he never held back on sharing what he was going through. This type of sharing only made his followers more dedicated to supporting him. He let his incredible body of work speak for an entire generation, and it continues to influence artists today.
What pains me the most is to think about what lay ahead for him. Jon Brion, the producer of Circles, revealed in an interview with the New York Times that Swimming and Circles were the first two parts of a planned trilogy. The last album in the trilogy was set to be a pure hip-hop record, meant to prove Miller was still one of the best lyricists in the game. With the way his career was going, it can only be expected that this next album would have been even better than the previous two. Rest in peace Malcom, and thank you for inspiring us.