The Legacy of Mac Miller

Before Mac Miller tragically passed away at only 26, I had no clue who he was, and I never explored his discography.

It wasn’t until about a couple of months ago that I played the album “K.I.D.S.” I loved everything about it, and it made me feel like a kid again just by listening to it. Mac’s mellow flow was calming, and his lyricism was highly relatable to a nineteen-year-old like me with songs like “Kool-Aid and Frozen Pizza.”

I wasn’t even halfway through the album before I was hooked on it. When I finished the album, I felt like I went through and visualized my life back in high school, where the only thing I had to worry about was my grades. It gave me a feeling of sadness knowing that I’ll never live through that again — especially with COVID coming in to end my last year of high school earlier than anyone would have expected.

Something about his music just spoke to me. Life is tough, and whenever I have rough days, I always listen to that album. One of my favorite albums by him is the one that was released right before his death, “Swimming.”

I couldn’t believe how long I waited to sit back and listen to his music and the heart and soul he puts into it, and this album was a pure example of it.

Music lovers like me can relate when I say that the energy he puts in, the flows of his song, and the lyrics put me in a place where I felt like I was in my world. I love music because everyone has their favorite artists or songs based on their emotions or an event with the song playing in the background.

I instantly took a liking to Mac Miller’s music because of the transition in the music genre and how much of an impact he will forever have in the industry.

Most people only knew him from dating Ariana Grande; back then, that’s all I remembered of him.

But now, after listening and feeling all of the different emotions he displays in this art, it’s truly inspirational.

K.I.D.S

By far my favorite album by him. I even have an album cover poster that I want to frame in my apartment.

‘K.I.D.S’ is an album that does the perfect job of mixing adulthood and youthfulness. It brings this positive energy when listening and makes you think that you are always still a kid at heart despite how hard life can be or how much older you get.

My favorite song, “The Spins,” is a good representation of the album; it’s fun, but some songs on the album can be considered a little weak. Keep in mind this was Mac in his early days back in 2010.

It hits so much harder as a college student because the album captures a carefree teenage theme that’s catchier than you think.

Swimming

I wish I had met him or gone to a concert before he died. For the short time I’ve been listening to him, he has already made an impact on me. These were my two favorite albums, but he’s got so many more amazing albums it’s hard to name them all.

‘Swimming’ is an entirely different album, and it shows how much he’s grown as an artist with his music. This album was released after the whole breakup happened, and it’s clear that Mac had a completely different mindset in this one.

He talks about his struggles with drug addiction which caused a toxic relationship with Ariana that made her end things off with him. Safe to say, that might’ve made Mac’s addiction even worse.

His singing is fantastic, and you can tell how hard he tries to turn this sadness into lifting his spirit. Sadly, only a month later is when he was pronounced dead in his home.

Mac Miller and His Legacy in Music

Now I know a lot of people aren’t fans of him or his music. I get it, but you can’t deny how influential he is.

I’ve seen many interviews with Mac Miller, and you can tell just how much he lights the room up and carries an angel presence, he’s an artist that I look up to, and I wish we could’ve seen more from him and his transformation of music.

An album of his called “Circles” was posted in tribute, and listening to that was truly magical. It was the perfect tribute to the type of artist that he is. If you haven’t listened to it, I recommend just listening to a couple of songs from that album like ‘Everybody,’ ‘Good News,’ and ‘Complicated.’

The legacy of Mac Miller will continue to live on forever. Sadly, he had to die so young, and it’s so unfortunate knowing that drugs were the ones that caused it. Today, Mac Miller is still getting over seventeen million monthly listeners and dominating the hip-hop/rap genre. His record label recently announced that one of his old albums is re-releasing on all platforms, so I’m looking forward to that. I just hope Mac’s family and friends are doing okay.

“No matter where life takes me, find me with a smile.”

-Mac Miller

Rest in peace, Mac Miller.