Malcolm James McCormick, Easy Mac (with the cheesy raps), Mac Miller. Mac was a great artist who had nothing but time ahead of him. He dropped infinite hits from “The Spins” and “Smile back” to “Traffic In The Sky” and “Self-care” his sounds are spellbinding, he could truly be put in a genre all his own. Mac’s style was so unique that you could listen to him to get hyped for a party or to chill while drinking a cup of coffee on a rainy morning. In my opinion, he was one of the greatest artists of my generation, that’s why on September 7th, 2018 when I found out he died my heart stopped.
That day was supposed to be the best day of my life, my wedding day. Months of planning and stressing would always get to me and I would always try to relax by listening to music. At the top of my chill playlist was Mac’s “The Festival”. I can’t tell you how many times I played that song, it never failed to put me in a better mood. My wedding day was no exception while drinking and getting ready for the biggest moment of my life disaster hit. I got notifications, texts and phone calls all telling me Mac Miller just died.
I was completely drunk and I’ve never sobered up so quick in my life. At that moment I felt utter confusion. Mac Miller, one of my favorite artists, just passed away before his time and I was getting married in the next hour to a girl I loved. I didn’t know what I should’ve been feeling, should I be sad and cry or should I be happy and keep having a good time? I went out with a smile on my face and made sure I enjoyed every single moment of my wedding, but I knew as soon as the wedding was over and I was alone I was definitely going to have an emotional ass cry.
I played nothing but his tracks for weeks but after a while, I stopped feeling sad and started feeling happy that I got to experience his music while he was still making it. I was only six when Tupac died and I didn’t truly understand the meaning behind his music until later on in life. Mac was the first artist that I grew up with and got to see him grow as an artist, I got to see him change his flow while never losing his style. He was a kid my age making huge moves and talking about stuff I was going through at the exact same time. It’s sad that we won’t get another great album from him, but at least we got to experience his journey.
Shout out Mac thank you for some of the best music and some of the best times I’ve had, he was a big part of my life and will be missed. You can bet that when I have kids and I make them clean the house every Sunday morning they’re going to be jammin out to him.
‘No matter where life takes me, find me with a smile
Pursuit to be happy, only laughing like a child
I never thought life would be this sweet
It got me cheesin’ from cheek to cheek, aye, aye
And I ain’t gonna wait for nothing
‘Cause that just ain’t my style
Life couldn’t get better
This ‘gon be the best day ever’
– Mac Miller
Everyone, please put a  thumb in the air!
“My regrets look just like text I shouldn’t send
And I got neighbors, they’re more like strangers
We could be friends
I just need a way out of my head…”
These lyrics by one of the most iconic rappers of my generation continues to ring in my head on a consistent basis. That rapper is the late and great Mac Miller. Now why this line continues to humm in my head on a daily basis is beyond me but I’m not mad at it at the end of the day. There is a lot of truth in this short line. We go through our lives so involved in ourselves that we forget we can make this world a truly special place if we smile and show love toward others. Neighbors are our strangers because we feel as if we are so different, but at the end of the day, we have more in common than we think. From 9-5 jobs, taking care of children to just trying to maintain to stay afloat. Mac Miller made it his due diligence to let his listeners know that he is down to earth and here for them.
I was first touched by Mac Millers music back in 2011. Senior year of high school and I just finished my homework, why not kill some time on YouTube? While searching thru Wiz Khalifa and Kid Cudi, I came across this guy rocking a flannel, backwards snapback, and some Nike SBs.
At the time, this was pretty much the style. The first song I ever heard from Mac was “Another Night”. I was instantly drawn in from the guitar cords to how much similar in age we looked. I gave the song a try and next thing I knew I was bumping this in my 2003 Volkswagen Beetle. Side Note: Yes, my first car was a Volkswagen Beetle haha.
“Easy Mac with the cheesy raps” ability to flow while keeping the persona of a high school kid looking to find themselves ignited my curiosity to find more music by him. Thankfully, K.I.D.S was already released back in 2010 and this was his fourth mixtape released. I felt so behind but grateful because I could put myself in a mini time machine of his music. “K.I.D.S” stood out to me the most. This tape is what solidified Mac’s talent and showed that he was here to stay. His comfortability with himself was expressed through his lyrics and was highlighted through his music video visuals. A couple of videos that always come to mind are “Nike’s on my Feet” and “Senior Skip Day”.
For someone who never skipped school, “Senior Skip Day” gave me perfect insight as to what happens when a student does so. The video captivated the true essence of what it meant to be a teenager. From waking up with a wake and bake session then proceeding to shop for munchies in the local market. The laid back/fresh prince of Pittsburgh vibe was something I could connect with. In essence, I felt as if I was connected through Mac Miller’s lyrics and lived through him by the visuals he presented in his videos. “Nikes on my Feet” was no different. Seeing Mac cruise around in a Honda Civic at 17 with no worries and a crisp pair of Nikes was fascinating to me. Here we have a rapper who doesn’t try to adhere to the basic and common industry desires. Instead, Mac Miller decided to take his style and run with it.
In 2015, I had the pleasure of meeting Mac Miller. During his GO:OD AM Tour, he had a meet and greet in Norfolk, Va. A group of friends and I waited in line for about two hours and honestly I expected to be waiting longer. It was our mission to make it there as early as we could because we didn’t want to miss this opportunity to meet one of our favorite rappers. When we arrived, the line was pretty long. They had Zumiez workers provide entertainment by asking fans trivial questions about Mac Miller and doing raffles. Of course, I got the trivia correct.
It’s time to let people in and I instantly feel my heart drop to my stomach. I wipe my sweaty hands on my pants, squirt some Hand Sanitizer and proceed to walk up to the front of the store. With about 30 people ahead of me, I had time to get myself together and gather exactly what I would say to Mac. Do I praise him and tell him how much I like his music? Do I not say anything and be weird? Well, I decided to do a mixture of both. When it was my time to head up to the table where he was signing autographs, he greeted me with a dap. This wasn’t just any dap. IT WAS THE LOUDEST DAP OF ALL TIME. DAP HEARD AROUND WORLD! We shake hands and all I can hear is someone yell “Damn” from the back of the line. While I was instantly embarrassed, Mac laughed and kept it cool. I was glad he wasn’t too mad about his hand being on fire because my hand was screaming from the pain. We take a picture (which I look super goofy in) and we wait for his concert later that night.
The concert was nothing short of spectacular. He performed all our favorite songs and at one point shouted my friends and I out. God must have told me to take a picture right at that time because the picture I got was perfect. In the photo, you can clearly see him pointing at us. At this point, I’m baffled that Mac Miller has acknowledged me twice and knew who I was. That experience is something that I wouldn’t trade for the world! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING MAC MILLER! THUMBS UP! WE WILL MEET AGAIN! Huuhhhhh HAAAAAA!
