Appreciating The Unfinished Legacy Of Mac Miller
Last Friday, rapper and producer Mac Miller, born Malcolm James McCormick, was found dead in his San Fernando Valley home. His fans, who had heard Miller openly address drug use in interviews and in his music for years, immediately speculated that the cause was an overdose, though postmortem toxicology tests have not been released. Reactions to the news — from peers like Drake, Childish Gambino and J. Cole, relative newcomers like Ugly God and Lil Xan and titans from outside hip-hop like Elton John and Solange — were echoes of one another, invariably describing him as a sweet, easygoing individual with an innate gift for music.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Mac Miller was trained in piano from the age of 6 and went on to teach himself drums, guitar and beat production. His earliest releases, especially his breakthrough 2010 mixtapeon the Pittsburgh indie Rostrum Records, belied an appreciation for '90s boom-bap and an endearing, infectious and, at times, naive outlook on life. Above all else, his early work, and this summer's , Miller experimented in R&B and funk and explored love, depression and candid honesty when it came to his own battles.
