Mac Miller Pt. 1 : Introducing The Kid

 

                What’s up guys! For this week’s blog post I decided to do something different where I listen to the whole discography of an artist and talk about what makes them special as we discuss the concepts that came out of his/her projects. For the first blog post of this sort, I decided to focus on Mac Miller because not only have I heard a lot about him, I feel like he was one of those underrated artists that had a lot to say in the short amount of time he had to spread it. I personally have friends that have been touched by his music, so I decided to give his music a try. I’m pretty sure I’m going to break this analysis into three parts just because of how lengthy Mac’s discography is, so for this one I’ll be focusing on the projects “K.I.D.S.”, “Best Day Ever”, “I Love Life, Thank You”, and “Blue Slide Park.”

                To be fair, I’ve already listened to “K.I.D.S.” a couple of years ago because I remember one of my favorite rappers, Logic, talk about how influential this mixtape was on his influence to rap and try to create fancy rhymes. The intro, “Kickin’ Incredible Dope Shit” was a great bang into the atmosphere Mac creates following the monologue about how music is everything. The beats in this project are swirly, and it’s fun to see the great wordplay young Mac uses in this mixtape. He does a great job in using his words to replicate what childhood is all about: fun and happiness. Ideas of hanging out with your friends outside, smoking weed and experimenting with what life has to offer, and the emphasis on freedom and lack of stress is what’s promoted throughout this whole project. Songs like “Kool Aid and Frozen Pizza” further this theme as we get a throwback to the small snacks we used to consume as kids living in a nostalgic time. "Senior Skip Day" does a great job as well as the energy from the song resembles the atmosphere of the last day of school where everyone is chill and vibing as summer is to come. "Good Evening" does a great job at using conversation in a rap song, furthering this idea of a dope kid just doing what he wants. We do see the other side of the coin with songs like “Poppy” as Mac talks about the difficulties of dealing with his father’s passing yet dreams to meet him again one day after accumulating the success he wishes to attain. Overall, this was a really fun project and it gave me an impression of Mac Miller being just “a kid” (his tagline) as he raps on these beats innocently and ambitiously.

                The second project “Best Day Ever” builds on the saga of “the kid” as he dreams about doing big things and cementing his position in the rap game. The song “Donald Trump” symbolizes the hyperbole kids tend to have as they dream about doing big things with their friends. The music video also shows an energetic Mac as he jumps around with his friends, swinging his arms to match the energy coming from the song. This sight reminded me of my childhood as I can picture myself doing the same thing when experiencing an awesome moment in life. Mac definitely comes off more confident on this project as he tackles faster rhyming patterns and moves around more sophisticated beats. Overall, this was a fun project and shows some growth following “K.I.D.S”. The third project, “I Love Life, Thank You” contains more noise and more confidence mixed with some chaos as Mac celebrates not only his social clout at this point in his life but also the release of his debut album, “Blue Slide Park”. This mixtape had one of the coolest intro songs as the beat was just amazing in “I Love Life, Thank You”. The wordplay is consistent in this project but isn’t something you should take serious as it’s just a prelude for more to come. While this project didn’t stand as significant compared to the others, it still had an energetic vibe to tune in to.

                Finally, we get to the debut album, “Blue Slide Park”. This was a great project to listen to, and it was a breath of fresh air to witness how Mac adds more flair to his character as the innocent kid who just chills and raps. The album title itself refers to the playground Mac used to hang out at as a kid, and the songs titles, “English Lane”, “Blue Slide Park”, “Party on Fifth Ave.”, and “Frick Park Market” symbolize all the spots in Pittsburgh that Mac saw a lot as he grew up. His innocent style of rapping isn’t seen as much compared to his other projects because I think this was the perfect opportunity for Mac to show the world that he’s just as serious as a rapper as he is goofy as a kid. This was a great choice because I was blown away a lot of the songs I listened to from this project. This album is all about what Mac is influenced by as both an artist and an everyday person living in Pittsburgh, and the samples used gives us an interesting take in what Mac enjoyed over the years. Overall, this was a great project and a somewhat surprising follow up from his other projects. I hope you guys liked this review; I’ll be doing a part two later this week that analyzes some more projects as we go through everything Mac. Peace!

**IMPORTANT: none of the music talked about are mine and are owned by the artist and his label respectively**

Favorite Songs:

(RECOMMEND) K.I.D.S.: Intro, Senior Skip Day, The Spins, Don't Mind If I Do, Good Evening, Knock Knock, Kool Aid and Frozen Pizza, Poppy

Best Day Ever: Best Day Ever, Donald Trump, Keep Floatin' (feat. Wiz Khalifa)

I Love Life, Thank You: I Love Life, Thank You, Willie Dynamite, Pranks 4 Players

(RECOMMEND) Blue Slide Park: Blue Slide Park, Party On Fifth Ave., PA Nights, Frick Park Market, Smile Back, Of the Soul, My Team, Loitering, Diamonds & Gold, One Last Thing