Just Blaze is one of the game’s greatest producers, having been at the center of many classic instrumentals — including many stemming from the Roc-a-Fella dynasty at the height of the millennium. And while he has been widely celebrated for his musical talents, there’s another quality worthy of praise — his generosity.
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In a new interview with The Recording Academy, in which a variety of Mac Miller’s collaborators reflected on the late rapper’s Best Day Ever mixtape, Blaze spoke about the time he contributed “All Around The World” to the cause. “A friend of mine, Alex, we called him The Bald God, was helping me find young talent to work with,” explained Just. “Mac was on the list. Whenever he was in New York, he’d come to the studio, hang out and record. No real serious business arrangement. Let him rock and see what happens.”
“He understood, ‘This is the foundation that what I’m doing is built on,” reflects Just, noting Mac’s status as a genuine student of the rap game. “I think part of the reason why I have been able to be successful is because I understood that foundation. He reminded me of myself in that way. Some people are like, ‘That was before, this is what we’re doing now.’ The fact that he was so knowledgeable about what came before him, I admired that and I respected that.”
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After whipping up the instrumental for “All Around The World,” a track that included samples from his friends over at MSTRKRFT, he proceeded to slide it over to Mac Miller and his camp. “That record, and a few other records [at the time], I didn’t charge anything for,” he states. “I was really just trying to test the room. I was able to help a few artists with their careers or help them get their start. I was happy to be a part of that with him. Again, we never had a formal business arrangement. Sometimes it’s just an artist you believe in and you try to support them however you can.”
Revisit “All Around The World” below, the beat that Just Blaze laced for Mac Miller free of charge, and sound off with your memories of Best Day Ever ten years removed from its release.