Mac Miller is Back

Nick Stines
Staff Writer

      Mac Miller just released his third album, GO:OD AM, on Sept. 18. Many new fans emerged to jam to this album, which, in-keeping with the current rap landscape, features more mellow beats and lyrics.
​      Miller released a mixtape in 2007 called But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy when he was fifteen. He was a typical high school student who rapped about being with friends and having limitless fun. On “Cruise,” Miller talks about being in Pittsburgh, his hometown, with his friends on a cheesy yet raw beat. In 2010, he released his fourth mixtape, K.I.D.S., which signaled the takeoff of his career. This album featured hits such as “Nikes on My Feet,” “Senior Skip Day,” “Knock Knock,” and “Kool Aid Frozen Pizza.” At only eighteen, Miller was selling out at every show including the Incredibly Dope tour in 2011. Around this time, he released his first album, Blue Slide Park. Popular rap at the time was more aggravated, and songs like “Loitering” featured a hard beat and edgy lyrics that appealed to a young audience.
​      Miller has struggled with temptation and addiction in the past; GO:OD AM articulates an “awakening” and a more transparent focus on music, family, and social life. The album starts off with Miller rapping about previous temptations, and as the album progresses, the mood becomes lighter to illustrate a new leaf in his life. “Break the Law” goes into his temptations regarding drugs and steering away from music, but the proceeding song, “Perfect Circle / God Speed,” features a mellow beat with people talking to him about cleaning his act up. Each album Miller has made has been a depiction of what his life has been like, and at twenty-five, he looks to clean up and focus more on making music.