Even though Mac Miller has been gone for almost six years, we’re still getting new music from the inventive Pittsburgh rapper. The newest song to hit the DSPs is “The Quest,” a previously unreleased song that first became available last year for fans who bought the 10th-anniversary vinyl of Miller’s 2013 album Watching Movies With The Sound Off. Produced by Mac (under his Larry Fisherman alias), the track interpolates Jon Brion’s Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind score — specifically, the song “Phone Call.”
While it’s unclear exactly when it was recorded, its presence on the Watching Movies reissue suggests a timeline that would make it one of Mac’s first unofficial collaborations with Brion. They later worked together extensively on Mac’s final projects Swimming and Circles. The former was the last Mac Miller album released during his lifetime, while the latter was completed by Jon Brion after Miller’s death in 2018. Together, they form a diptych sometimes collectively recognized as Swimming In Circles — although Brion said a third album was also planned, making the collection a trilogy.
Meanwhile, there’s still at least one Mac Miller album that fans still stand a good chance of hearing. Last year, Madlib confirmed that his and Mac’s collaborative project is being finished with the blessing of Mac’s mom, who runs the estate. While there’s still no timeline on a release just yet, it certainly gives us all something more to look forward to. Listen to “The Quest” below.
Mac Miller is one of the most celebrated rappers of this generation. His creativity and eccentricity separated himself from the pack and his legacy will always be remembered. Part of the reason for that is because his discography is loaded with fantastic projects, with one of them being Watching Movies with the Sound Off. His team gave us a 10th anniversary edition during the summer and last year with four bonus cuts. However, Mac Miller and his estate have one more surprise for us up their sleeve with “The Quest.”
For those who like getting their hands on physical copies of records, vinyl buyers were treated to an additional song. “The Quest” is sort of an aspirational and celebratory track for Mac Miller. He raps with tons of happiness and confidence, reassuring himself throughout. “Once (Once) upon (Upon) a time (A time) / The world (The world) is soon (Is soon) to be mine (To be mine).”
What also makes “The Quest” a standout is the production from Mac Miller. This is just one a few cuts that the multi-hyphenate showcased his craft on. However, while streaming fans are certainly enjoying that they have a chance to hear it, it does beg this question. How do the fans who paid money for vinyl feel that a wider audience has the chance to get it on it? This has been a trending topic over the past couple of weeks, especially after Kanye and James Blake’s recent comments.
What are your thoughts on this “brand-new” song, “The Quest,” by Mac Miller? Is this the strongest Watching Movies with the Sound Off (10th Anniversary) cut, why or why not? Do you think it was a smart idea to give everyone a chance to hear it, why or why not? Is this album still in your rotation? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Mac Miller. Finally, stay with us for the most informative song posts throughout the week.
Quotable Lyrics:
As we get higher, f*** work, girl, let’s get fired (Girl, let’s get fired) In the making (In the making), I’m doin’ great things Ran around the motherf****n’ streets like a psycho Hard to keep your balance when you’re jumpin’ on a tightrope (Tightrope) Jumpin’ on a tightrope (Rope) If I fall, would you love me at all?
Joyner Lucas has released his latest single, “Seventeen,” from his upcoming album, Not Now, I’m Busy. The song is a masterful sampling flip of Mac Miller’s 2011 hit “Donald Trump” and is a heartfelt homage to the late and great rapper.
The track begins with Joyner Lucas paying his respects to Mac Miller, starting with a “Rest In Peace Mac Miller” shoutout in the song’s intro. This tribute showcases Mac Miller’s deep impact on the music industry and the respect he garnered from fellow artists.
In addition to releasing the single, Joyner Lucas surprised fans with a corresponding music video for “Seventeen.” The video was shot at his newly opened frozen yogurt spot, “Oh Wow Frozen Yogurt and Smoothies,” located in Northborough, Massachusetts, near his hometown. Joyner invited all his fans to celebrate the establishment’s grand opening, creating a unique and memorable experience for his supporters. “Seventeen” is a touching tribute that showcases Joyner Lucas’s creativity and respect for his fellow artists while generating excitement for his upcoming album, Not Now, I’m Busy.
Accordingly, the Swimming 5-Year Collection is available on Miller’s official website. The expansive collection includes Miller’s August 2018 NPR “Tiny Desk Concert” pressed to vinyl for the first time, a Swimming 5-year anniversary vinyl, customized Vans Authentics, several graphic tees, hoodies, hats, shorts, and other miscellaneous items.
“We are continually inspired by all the love for Malcolm’s Swimming from fans old and new,” Miller’s Estate posted from its @92tilinfinity Instagram account. “We are thankful to be able to have worked with @nprmusic to press his Tiny Desk performance on vinyl for the first time so that more people can discover Malcolm’s little corner of the Internet that we love so much.”
Producer Jon Brion told The New York Timesthat Miller had intended for Swimming and Circles, posthumously released in January 2020, to be two-thirds of an album trilogy.
“He had this whole aquatic theme that came out of something we’d talked about when he was working on Swimming. I’d noticed he mentioned water a few times in the lyrics, and then that grew into all these discussions about water and what it sounds like that became kind of a running joke,” Brion told the publication in an interview published January 20, 2020.
“There were supposed to be three albums: the first, Swimming, was sort of the hybridization of going between hip-hop and song form. The second, which he’d already decided would be called Circles, would be song-based. And I believe the third one would have been just a pure hip-hop record. I think he wanted to tell people, ‘I still love this, I still do this.’”
See the Swimming 5-Year Anniversary Collection below.
Courtesy of Mac Miller Official Store
Mac Miller is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Lil Xan’s career as a rapper has been filled with many ups and downs. His struggles with addiction and other mental health concerns have been publicly documented over the years. Yet Lil Xan has persevered, feels healthy, and most importantly, is ready to return to music.
This comeback is solidified with the drop of “NODA,” Xan’s first single in over a year. This may come as a surprise to many fans, as Xan’s whereabouts musically have been in question, especially due to the many false rumors circulating around his name. However, in this exclusive interview with Hot New Hip Hop, Lil Xan speaks on his mental health today, his journey to sobriety, and many other details surrounding his absence and decision to return to music now that he is in a better place. Check it out below.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Lil Xan Interview
Hot New Hip Hop: Throughout 2018 and 2019, you had a number of announced projects that were ultimately never released. Can you speak to the events surrounding those scrapped projects and where you were mentally during that time?
Lil Xan: I always say to people, the cr*ziest year of my life was probably 2018. Just because of how much was going on and just where I was at in my career. It was kind of like, just a wild, cr*zy time. During that time, my mental state was horrible. I’m sure a lot of people could tell that were following on social media and all that, but I had planned a few projects that I really — you know?
I wanted to give the fans something and I think that’s where it stemmed from. But I was just so mentally unstable. I was physically unhealthy. That ultimately resulted in a lot of scrapped projects, which some things are reworked to be. I don’t know, just some things are just reworked and might see the light of day one day if fans want it possibly. But we have a new project coming in the next few months that’s consistent and it’s what I always wanted to give the fans. Just a consistent, good project that I feel shows off the evolution of sound. The fans, I just want to give them something new, something dope, something more mature. I hope that answers your question, I guess.
So really, is anything from now that came from any of the stuff that you scrapped during that time, or did you leave that in the past, and now you’re moving on to new things?
Maybe I’ll put it out there to the fans if they want to hear some music, but obviously, I’d let them know that it was recorded years before obviously. If they want it, yeah, I’ll end up maybe dropping it on Soundcloud, something more lowkey. But, right now, this next single and this next project was done in like the last year, and it was done when I was in a good place. The best place I’ve ever been mentally I feel. The best place I’ve ever been in my sobriety as well. That’s why I wanted to take some time off, be sober, and make a project sober. That just speaks true to me.
You’ve mentioned before that Mac Miller played a huge role in your life as both a person and an artist. In what ways did Mac have the most influence on you, and how did his death influence your journey to sobriety?
The cr*zy thing about Mac is he unknowingly — millions of kids he’s affected. I mean millions of people he’s affected, obviously, in a positive way with his music. But, from 2009, man, his music has just helped me in every situation that I’ve been in in life.
Every time I would bump the newest Mac Miller project whether it was a mixtape like Macadelic, or a new album like Watching Movies, I felt like it described exactly what kind of hardships I was going through, even if I wasn’t on drugs at the time. I might’ve been younger. But, every time I found myself in a dark place, I felt like there was a Mac Miller lyric that just spoke to me. I’m sure millions of other kids had that same experience with him, his music is just so good. He was unknowingly that. He had a big part of my life before I would even meet him later in life. And obviously meeting him, I never expected that.
That was a far-fetched idea at the time, but my good friend Cole Bennett ended up directing a music video for Mac, Carnage, and I believe MadeinTYO, another good friend of mine. Cole was another big fan of his if you ask him. But Cole had asked me if I wanted to meet up at the shoot because he knew that I was a big f**king Mac Miller fan too. So, I was like, “Thank you so much bro, this is dope bro.” So, I took an Uber over there, I got to meet Mac for a little while.
I got to talk to him. I walked in kind of on a conversation that they were already having, but I still felt the knowledge, and he was talking about some real hard sh*t that I would later in life go through. And then, I wouldn’t say we ever became good friends or anything, but we were definitely friends.
He had invited me and my girlfriend at the time to his show, which would end up being his last show, at I believe, Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. It was a great show, man. John Mayer was there. Cee-Lo Green, Jason Sedakis, Olivia Wilde — everyone from A-list movie stars to the biggest names in music were there, which really spoke to how loved he was in the music industry, and all types of industries. He was just a nice guy.
After the show was over — it was a great show, very small, intimate, only like a hundred people let in — I got to talk to him a little bit backstage. I don’t even remember what we talked about, but as I was saying goodbye to him, a lot of people know this, he had approached me and just told me two words. He said, “Be safe.” I was taken aback at the time because I had already said bye to him, so I was like, “Be safe,” oh, I get it. Maybe I looked that f*cked up that night, but that’s probably what it was, he was looking out. But those two words really spoke to me because a month later, he would pass away. Unfortunately, like the day after my birthday, as well.
It really put that thought in my head that I need to be safe. I need to be more careful. I wish I would’ve took his advice a little sooner because I would still go through some of my worst hardships past that. But I always kept that in the back of my mind. That, just, be safe, things are going to be okay, and it really is a powerful thing to me.
And especially to hear that from someone that played such a big role in your life and was so inspiring, I’m sure those words meant even more because of that.
You played a huge role in the development of the emo rap scene, a subgenre that I feel has greatly influenced much of mainstream Hip-Hop today. Do you feel you get the credit you deserve for your influence?
It’s funny when you search up, you can search up any artist, it’ll be, like, Lil Pump, Trippie Redd, you’ll get the “people also search for,” and I always pop up too and it’s like “emo rappers,” and I’m like, “oh sh*t, emo rappers.” Damn, that’s what I am. I never knew that, but obviously, I understand where that comes from. It’s like depressing, a lot of that music, a lot of that early Soundcloud stuff. Like me, Lil Peep, yeah, I definitely see that being the genre.
Do I feel like I get enough credit? Yeah, I do. I’m not going to sit here and be like, “I’m not getting enough credit, people don’t understand my genius.” No. I’m not like that. I think I was just part of a great thing. I think Soundcloud was just at its height back then and it was just such a unique and cool platform to showcase original talent. It reminded me a lot of punk rock, which inspired the whole XANARCHY kind of brand, like that whole punk rock stuff.
Yeah, I think it was a great, great time. I think I’m given my credit in certain places, but we’re still going, this is just the beginning, like that was the Soundcloud era, and we’re still going to keep pushing past that. It was good for its time, and as far as do I think it has influenced music? Yeah, I mean, people have been rapping about, I mean singing about, heartbreak since music was invented. It’s a very, very popular topic and for me, I spoke a lot of true experiences with bad break-ups, and so it was very authentic, and so that’s where I kind of leave it at that.
That was definitely an intense era and you were really at the heart of it at that time.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of Hip-Hop. Does this anniversary hold any significance to you?
I didn’t even know that until you brought that up. I love music, man, it’s going to be around forever, I think music is one of the most powerful, important things, and maybe that’s just me speaking as an artist. Music is just beautiful, man. You got all these different flavors, all these different genres, and new things to discover. Happy 50th birthday Hip-Hop, we’re going to be celebrating the 500th birthday one day. I’m happy for music, man.
Can you speak to your mental state at the time of your psychiatric hospitalization, as well as the online reaction to it, and how you overcame that?
There’s a lot of things in my past that I wish I could go back and maybe — obviously, not post a lot of stuff that’s private information. It was all part of the falling out. I wish I would’ve handled that a little bit differently. I wish I wouldn’t have taken to the internet to display raw emotion so quickly, but that’s just what I was used to. It was kind of a cry for help. I really did spend three days in the hospital on a 5150, that’s what they call it.
I’m not going to lie, I was on drugs at the time. Obviously, I was spiraling down. I had relapsed and I was watching all these terrible videos that had come out about me. I just didn’t know how to feel and I got in another dark, dark spot and I was like “Yo, I got to get help,” so I called the 5150 on myself in hopes that it would help in some way. And thank God I did because, after those three days, they only would let me out of the 5150 if I agreed to go straight into a detox, rehab program, or else they could keep me there for like 21 days. So I agreed. And that’s when I got sober. That’s when I went to the detox and I think it was like the fourth time being in detox, but yeah, that was the time.
I spent about thirty days in detox and then I went to the rehab program, but I only lasted like a week or two. And obviously, everybody expected me to relapse and fail because of leaving rehab, but I didn’t. I kept strong, and now we are like a year and six months I believe later, and I feel really good now. I wouldn’t even be attempting to drop a new single or even progress if I didn’t feel mentally in a good spot. I’m in the best place I’ve ever been in my life right now, but obviously there’s still a lot of room for growth.
Did you feel that that moment was really a turning point for you?
Yeah, there’s been a few turning points, but that one was definitely like the nail in the coffin. I was in the hospital. When you’re on that 5150 sh*t, someone is watching you constantly, but it was just so awkward. I was just sitting there with the dude just staring at me all night, I’m like “bro, I’m not going to hurt myself, I promise.” He’s like “I’ve heard that before.” It was a turning point. It was like, “aw man, look at me in the hospital for the hundredth f*cking time” due to some d*mb drug stuff, but that one was the final nail in the coffin.
But I commend you for that because that takes a lot of strength to do that, and to do that for yourself, to call it in on yourself. So, I really commend you for that.
Thank you, I appreciate that. Like I always tell people, if anybody is ever struggling, in a dark spot, whether it is mentally or with drugs, you have to want to change yourself. You are your own best friend and your own worst enemy. You have to want to get sober before you can get sober. Like, yeah, your friends can be like, “yo, we’re sending you to rehab,” or your parents can be like, “we’re sending you here and you’re going to get sober,” but if you don’t want to get sober, you’re just going to come back and start doing the same shenanigans that you were up to.
MADRID, SPAIN – MARCH 27: Lil Xan performs on stage at La Riviera on March 27, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Manzano/Redferns)
Do you feel that it was a mistake to go on tour in 2022 with the Dropout Kings so soon after you reached sobriety in rehab? Also, how did you feel about their public comments directed towards you after you left the tour?
The thing about that was, I don’t know if I had just gotten sober, yeah I had. I had just gotten sober. It was a business issue. That’s what that stemmed from. There were no contracts and stuff like that. That was something that I didn’t even really see what was going on because I was trying to stay off social media. I was trying to stay off social media because at that time I was early on trying to get my mind better and it was the early days of my sobriety.
So, I know that they had some rude comments and some mean comments but I just want everyone to know, that didn’t stem from anything on my part, that was the new management. That was just a business issue. But, I wish them nothing but the best, honestly. I hold no ill will toward any of those guys, but it did come across as just a really f*cked up thing and people speculated it was low ticket sales, nah, it was literally just from a business incident. That’s what it stemmed from. And then the Dropout Kings, obviously had their own idea of what went wrong. But it’s all good, man. That’s just a little blip in the past at this point.
That was right after you went to Scott Storch’s rehab facility right? Was that around the same time?
Yeah, shoutout to Scott Storch. Shoutout to Steve Lobel. The Heavenly Center, THC. I don’t know if they invented that, the Cali Sober, I don’t know if they invented that, but you could smoke weed in their detox and rehab facilities. I thought that was very, very interesting, I was smoking weed before, but I’m a big pothead now. And I think it helped out a lot. I know a lot of people who practice medicine and stuff will say that’s literally the f*cking stupidest thing ever, and to a lot of that I agree too. That’s dope. But it works for certain people and it worked for me. Shoutout to them, man.
How do you respond to fans and critics that claim you are not dedicated enough to music? Do you feel this invalidates how much work you have put in to yourself over the last few years?
I’ve always had it with the critics. I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I would say that every artist contributes to the greater music broadness. What would I say to that? You know, obviously, I used to have it out for Anthony Fantano. But honestly, if I could tell Anthony Fantano, I’m a fan of him, bro. I might have said some d*mb sh*t in the past, but I like dude. I was just young and d*mb, I respect everybody’s critique and opinion.
Everybody is not supposed to like my stuff. I feel like we should all be building each other up rather than breaking each other down. It is what it is, man. People are going to always say I suck. Some people are always going to say I’m great. You’re never going to win them all, so as I get older, I’m almost 27, I’m finally reaching this level of, I feel like maturity, maybe not, I don’t know. I just feel more comfortable in my own skin. Maybe it’s just from all the harshness of the critics and the haters and stuff, but it’s built a lot of character and it’s made me a stronger person. I respect everybody. Everybody has their own opinion.
What’s next for Lil Xan musically?
We have NODA dropping this month, I believe June 30th. NODA, Not On Drugs Anymore, man. That’s a special song, man. Obviously a lot of people know I haven’t dropped a song in over a year, maybe even longer. The last one I believe was “Life Sucks”, I love that record too. This kind of follows in that same pattern of “Life Sucks”, the previous record. It just sounds more mature. You’ll definitely hear remnants of, “obviously, this is a Lil Xan song,” but ultimately, I wish I could’ve gave people this next project as my first project. Not saying I don’t like my first project, I love it, it’s a classic. I just wish I was where I am now back then. Obviously, that’s in the past, you can only go forward. I’m just excited to show people, let’s call it, a new level of maturity in my music.
I like that, too, because obviously, you can’t change the past, but to be able to show that you’ve grown from it, and do that through your music is really cool.
Yeah, exactly. I like that word, like “grown from it.” That’s exactly what this single, and not only this single but the project, it’s growth. I finally feel like I’ve grown into myself and I’m comfortable and that’s the best thing, man.
You have worked hard to promote anti-drug use on social media and have publicly documented your struggles with addiction and mental health, something many people are not brave enough to do. Do you want that to be the legacy you leave behind?
Yeah, I’m a very open person. I used to just let it all f*cking out there on the table, man. I still am that same person, but with better intentions. If something bad happens, I’m not going to freak out and go to Instagram, trust me. I’ve learned my lesson on posting sensitive stuff there. I don’t even know how to start thinking about my legacy when I feel still kind of so young. I feel like there is still so much to do.
What do I want to leave behind, man? My wild antics, or good music, or what people consider bad music, I don’t know, man. I think time will tell. I definitely want to leave this Earth feeling like I’ve helped enough people in their own personal battles. That’s just the most important thing to me. I just want to help people. Love me, hate me, whatever, like the music, don’t like the music, that’s fine, man. That is fine. I just want to place myself in places where I can help out. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do and I know that’s probably not what people know me as because it was misconstrued because I was all high on live.
And you know, it’s funny, I laugh at a lot of that stuff, it’s pretty hilarious. That’s just not the person I am anymore and I want to show people that. I plan on showing people that through my music and most importantly through my actions.
2023 marks the 10th anniversary of Mac Miller’s second studio album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off. His sophomore album arrived on June 18, 2013 — the same day as Kanye West’s Yeezus and J. Cole’s Born Sinner — via Rostrum Records. Watching Movies with the Sound Off followed Mac Miller’s 2012 mixtape, Macadelic, an effort that saw him branching out from the sounds of his debut album, Blue Slide Park. Watching Movies With The Sound Off continued to move further away from his debutbothstylistically and artistically.
His debut album was an introduction to Mac Miller without a guest feature attached to the tracklist. However, Watching Movies with the Sound Off had a stacked guest list of talented artists, including Earl Sweatshirt, Ab-Soul, Niki Randa, Action Bronson, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Electronica, and Tyler, The Creator. Meanwhile, he tapped a star-roster of producers to flesh out the sound of the project, such as Earl Sweatshirt, Flying Lotus, Clams Casino, ID Labs, Pharrell, The Alchemist, Sap, Diplo, and Mac Miller himself. Watching Movies with the Sound Off was its very own world with an array of renowned artists tapping into a sound that Mac Miller had not previously explored. Today, we’re looking back at Mac Miller’s Watching Movies with the Sound Off for its 10th anniversary.
Watching Movies With The Sound Off marked a clear departure from both Blue Slide Park and Macadelic. Both projectsincluded party-ready songs with slick punchlines that showcased Mac Miller’s charisma. Still, Macadelic specifically saw Mac branching out and trying out different styles, making both festival-approved bangers and vulnerable songs that emphasized melody. But, compared to his previous work, Mac Miller’s artistic risks in Watching Movies With The Sound Off paid off tenfold. The low and high-pitched vocals on songs like “The Star Room,” “I’m Not Real,” and “Gees” provided psychedelic textures to the album’s production. These artistic decisions throughout the effort made for Mac Miller’s best work at the time. Sadly, the album revealed more about Mac Miller’s complicated relationship with drugs that led to his passing in 2018.
In Watching Movies With The Sound Off, Mac Miller leaned further into experimenting with his rap style, songwriting, and song choices. Many of the records dived into personal matters, some of which learned into the grim territory. However, Mac still provided his signature wit and humor in his rapping, with energetic songs like “Watching Movies” and “Goosebumpz.” The melody-driven tracks like “Objects in the Mirror” and “REMember” made for some of his most emotionally transparent tracks at the time.
Watching Movies With The Sound Off was eclectic in lyrical content, style, and production and the collaborations reflected that. The features from Mac Miller’s rap peers may have seemed unexpected on paper, but the execution paired perfectly with the overall direction of the project. He goofs around with Ab-Soul, Tyler, The Creator, and ScHoolboy Q, flexes his bars with Action Bronson, and gets esoteric with Jay Electronica. Furthermore, the production choices felt like a breath of fresh air for Mac Miller, whether it was choppy grooves from Flying Lotus and Clams Casino or the ethereal production from ID Labs and AdoTheGod. While many producers and featured artists helped Mac Miller execute his vision, he was still the star of the show.
Watching Movies with the Sound Off was a significant turning point in Mac Miller’s career, especially after he started producing under the name Larry Fisherman. He solely produced multiple album highlights such as “Avian” and “Aquarium.” The talent of Mac Miller as a new producer was quite remarkable. He would produce an instrumental EP and an entire Vince Staples mixtape that same year, as well as being more involved in the production of future releases like Faces and Swimming.
Watching Movies with the Sound Off proved to be a pivotal moment in Mac Miller’s career. However, it also paved the way for Mac Miller’s future releases. He would dive deeper into the quirkiness and depressed lyrics of Watching Movies on the Faces mixtape, which he produced the majority of. His third studio album, GO:OD AM contained the energy of songs like “Matches,” and even included a sequel to the song. Both GO:OD AM and The Divine Feminine also consisted of a multitude of love songs that expanded on records like “Youforia.“ The Divine Feminine went even further, making love and passion its main themes. Mac’s affinity for melody shined on Watching Movies With The Sound Off but it also made for standout moments on Swimming, which was also very emotionally vulnerable.
Watching Movies with the Sound Off was a major step for Mac Miller’s career and development as an artist. Compared to his previous works, the album showed growth for Mac Miller both as a rapper and as a producer. His willingness to experiment and take risks with the album allowed him to showcase his versatility on future albums.
Mac Miller’s untimely death in 2018 had a profound impact on the creative world. However, his music has remained popular, and his recent certifications demonstrate his enduring appeal. On June 7, Mac Miller’s final studio album released before his passing, Swimming, achieved double platinum certification from the RIAA. This signifies two million units sold in the U.S. In February 2021, the album had already received platinum certification, marking Mac’s first project to reach that status. Furthermore, the song “Self Care” from the same album has been certified 5x platinum. That has surpassed his previous highest-certified song, “Weekend,” a collaboration with Miguel. That track achieved 4x platinum status from his 2015 album GO:OD AM.
Mac Miller’s earlier albums, Blue Slide Park, Watching Movies With the Sound Off, and GO:OD AM have all been certified gold. Even his posthumous release Circles has made gold status. Swimming was released in August 2018, a month before Mac Miller’s passing. It is often considered his magnum opus and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. It is a testament to the rapper’s artistry that was unfortunately snuffed out too soon.
Mac Miller performs on the Camp Stage during day 1 of Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival 2017 at Exposition Park on October 28, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Although he couldn’t witness his music’s continued success, Mac Miller’s legacy lives on through his art. Jon Brion, who worked on Swimming, was enlisted by Mac’s estate to help complete the album he had been working on before his untimely death. In 2020, the posthumous album Circles was released to critical acclaim. It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and achieved Mac’s highest sales week for an album, with 164,000 units sold. The lead single, “Good News,” became his highest-charting track as a lead artist. It reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Mac Miller’s family has been careful and sensitive in handling his legacy since his passing. In 2021, his 2014 mixtape Faces was finally made available on streaming platforms after clearing the necessary samples.
Looking ahead, there is a possibility of new music from Mac Miller. Reportedly, he left behind an extensive collection of unreleased material. After featuring Mac on his album Liberation 2, producer Madlib revealed earlier this year that he is putting the finishing touches on the long-awaited “Maclib” project. He confirmed that this is the same project that was previously reported. He also said that Mac Miller’s estate has given approval for its eventual release. At least Mac Miller fans have something to look forward to in the future. For now, they can enjoy the late rapper’s continued success.
Of the new albums that have arrived so far this weekend, arguably one of the most talked about so far is Jack Harlow’s Jackman. The 10-track, featureless effort chiefly shows off the Kentucky native’s pen game after a lukewarm reaction to his sophomore LP, Come Home The Kids Miss You. Of the titles on the tracklist, one that’s earned a significant amount of attention so far is the second, “They Don’t Love It,” on which he cleverly compares himself to Eminem – an artist he’s looked up to for most of his life.
“Ya boy’s strivin’ to be the most dominant ever / The hardest white boy since the one who rapped about vomit and sweaters,” Harlow rhymes on his latest release. While his biggest fans would obviously agree with that statement, so many were ready to argue with the “WHAT’S POPPIN” hitmaker that one of his contemporaries’ names began trending on Twitter today (April 29). According to many, the late Mac Miller is undeniably the one who deserves that moniker, not him.
Jack Harlow Calls Himself “The Hardest White Boy” Since Eminem
“Until Jack Harlow drop a verse like Paul Wall on ‘Sitting Sideways,’ or give us albums like Mac Miller he can respectfully shut the f*ck up,” one certainly upset user wrote. Another chimed in with, “Mac Miller was better than both of y’all if we being honest,” not-so-subtly dissing both Harleezy and Slim Shady. Elsewhere, others markedly begged fans to leave the fallen Circles artist’s name out of the conversation. They’ve previously done this during other online discourse, involving names like Pete Davidson, Ariana Grande, and Kanye West.
Thus far, other fan favourites from Jackman appear to be “Gang Gang Gang” and the project’s longest effort, “Blame On Me.” This is the first full-length work we’ve heard from the 25-year-old since last year’s album. Of course, he did come together with DJ Drama on “Mockingbird Valley” at the very end of March. Scroll further to read more Twitter reactions to Jack Harlow’s braggadocious bars on his new surprise project. Afterward, tell us who your personal favourite of the three white lyricists is in the comments below.
Until Jack Harlow drop a verse like Paul Wall on sitting sideways or give us albums like Mac Miller he can respectfully shut the fuck up https://t.co/45uqWAnU86
Action Bronson RA the Rugged Man Brother Ali Evidence Droog Eminem El-P Logic Paul Wall Vinnie Paz Vanilla Ice Mac Miller Posh Spice My postman My cleaner Dude who cleans my bins every week Tyson Fury Boris Johnson Debbie Harry https://t.co/C1dDzlofMX
— Franklin Saint-Slacktrick (@Slakonbothsides) April 29, 2023
(@Slakonbothsides)