Malcolm James McCormick was born 19 January, 1992 and passed 3 years ago this past week on the 7th. Mac has been one of the most influential rappers of the 2010s, with many of his hits being featured on the Billboard Hot 200, as well as having his album, called “Swimming”, get nominated for a Grammy. Although he did not win the Grammy (and was lowkey robbed), his music still lives on and has gained even more popularity as time goes on.

Mac was from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and started his hip hop career in 2007. He  released 8 albums, ones that are still considered to be revolutionary to the hip hop scene and is viewed as art way ahead of its time. As a kid, Mac taught himself how to play as many instruments as he possibly could at the young age of six: piano, drums, guitar, and bass. When he entered high school, he began to hone in on his rapping and songwriting. In 2007 he began writing and producing mixtapes under the name “EZ Mac” at the age of 15. He was eventually signed and began working on his first (of many) project. His passion for music allowed his first record, “K.I.D.S,” to grant him a spot in the 2011 “Freshman Class” list by XXL which typically displays the top new rappers of the year alongside superstars like Kendrick Lamar.

With the release of another mixtape, “Best Day Ever,”he got his first single, “Donald Trump,” to reach the Billboard 100 chart (peak at 75) which eventually went platinum.”Blue Slide Park,” which you can read more about in my “Ranking All of Mac Miller’s Albums” article, reached the top of the Billboard 200 and had three songs reach the Billboard 100 peaking at 55, 60, and 64 and eventually was certified gold. “Macadelic” was his next album, which had similar success to “Blue Slide Park.” He created two songs produced by one of the most highly regarded producers in rap, Pharrell Williams. He formed his own production company, REMember Music, in 2013. He was even a part of a reality series on MTV. He eventually sang alongside Ariana Grande in her song, “The Way,” which was Mac’s highest ranking ever, reaching number 9 on the Billboard 100 and certified triple platinum.

“Watching Movies With The Sound Off” was released in the summer of 2013 and received a ton of positive reviews for its more experimental, psychedelic tracks. The album has a multitude of features from upcoming artists (at the time) Schoolboy-Q, Tyler, the Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt. This is my second favorite Mac album, so I personally only have good things to say.

The mayor of Pittsburgh gave Mac the key to the city and declared 20 September “Mac Miller Day.” Tell me that isn’t the coolest.

His next two albums, “GO:OD AM” and “The Divine Feminine,” were released within a year of one another. “GO:OD AM” had many hits, such as “Weekend” (which is certified platinum”, and charted at number four on the Billboard 200. “The Divine Feminine” explores Mac’s relationship with love and his emotions; he does more singing than rapping. The complete juxtaposition of “GO:OD AM” and “The Divine Feminine” proved that Mac could do more than rap about being a rockstar who drives fast cars and makes loads of money; he also had intense relationships and sang about his emotions in a raw and vulnerable format.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrR_gm6RqCo (Mac’s Tiny Desk Concert, 8 August 2018)

“Swimming” was released one month before Mac’s passing. “Swimming” is my favorite Mac Miller album of all time (for multiple reasons). From the more funk based beats in “What’s the Use” to a more emotional ballad like “Come Back to Earth” or “2009,” Mac truly did it all in “Swimming.” He was prepared to go on tour with “Swimming” and had even began working on “Circles.” After he passed on 7 September, 2018 from a cocaine, fentanyl, and alcohol overdose, the single “Self Care” reached 33 on the Billboard 100.

“Circles” is a posthumous sister album to “Swimming” and features a similar energy to “Swimming” with many of the tracks having a similar sound to one another. The single “Good News” reached 17 on the Billboard 100.

Overall, Mac Miller has been influential to the music industry in more ways than just contributing to popular hip hop top charters. Since it’s the anniversary of his passing, I feel it is beyond important to discuss how great of a musician and person he was. So, without further ado, here are my top 10 favorite Mac Miller songs (in order).

1. Come Back to Earth (“Swimming”)
2. What’s The Use (“Swimming”)
3. 2009 (“Swimming”)
4. The Spins (“K.I.D.S”)
5. Objects in the Mirror (“Watching Movies With the Sound Off”)
6. Stay (“The Divine Feminine”)
7. My Favorite Part (“The Divine Feminine”)
8. Blue World (“Circles”)
9. Suplexes Inside of Complexes and Duplexes (“Watching Movies With the Sound Off”)
10. Weekend (“GO:OD AM”)