I wrote this article a couple of weeks before Mac Miller unfortunately passed away on September 7, 2018. To honor his legacy in the music industry and his incredible talent, I wanted to post this article anyway. Rest in peace, Malcolm James McCormick.
Anyone familiar with the hip-hop industry, whether as a fan or an artist themselves, is also familiar with iconic rapper Mac Miller or his producer pseudonym, Larry Fisherman. Mac Miller, known to his family as Malcolm, has a lengthy and star-studded discography that features hyper, classic house-party anthems like singles "Donald Trump" and "Knock Knock," yet also includes emotional insights into his own personal struggles and experiences, like "REMember," dedicated to Miller's deceased friend.
Miller's overall sound and production style has indeed taken twists and turns throughout his career, starting with his debut studio album "Blue Slide Park," released in 2011. "Blue Slide Park" was successful in sustaining the classic rap beats and flows of his previously released mixtape "Best Day Ever," while his 2013 studio album "Watching Movies with the Sound Off" takes a more introspective, emotional turn and features descriptions of Miller's drug problems and dealing with the death of loved ones. This album in particular marks the point in Miller's career where his music strays farther from the "frat-rap" sound, sparked in part by his personal struggles and his taking the primary role of production for the first time, aided by big-name artists such as Diplo, Tyler the Creator, and Pharrell Williams.
His transformation in musical style continued with his 2015 album "GO:OD AM," which was released in a recording contract between Warner Bros. Records and Miller's own label, REMember. This album delved further into his issues with addiction and inferiority, most notably on the album's 11th track "Perfect Circle/God Speed," in which he describes his fear of overdosing and casting pain onto his family, as well as his desire to be a positive role model for his brothers. Because of his distancing from a frat-rap sound, Miller's instrumentals and lyrics fell softer and deeper in "GO:OD AM," with a trend towards self-reflection and personal connections. That trend in particular took off with Miller's 2016 mixtape "The Divine Feminine," which he says is not just about love, but rather about learning from women throughout his life and what those experiences mean to him.
His previous mixtapes and studio albums led Mac Miller to his fifth release, "Swimming," which debuted August 3, 2018, and features the rapper looking forlorn while sitting under what is seemingly a plane window on the cover. If "Watching Movies with the Sound Off," "GO:OD AM," and "The Divine Feminine" were Miller discovering and evolving the art of personal, introspective hip-hop, the album "Swimming" shows that he has indeed conquered that path. "Swimming" is evidence of Miller's own life transitions, including everything from the successes and pitfalls of drug and alcohol addiction to his split with longtime partner and artist Ariana Grande.
In part, the album does serve as a post-breakup tribute to love and heartbreak, which is apparent to the listener in the very first track "Come Back to Earth." Its chorus – "I just need a way out of my head / I'll do anything for a way out of my head" – and later lyrics – "And don't you know that sunshine don't feel right / When you inside all day / I wish it was nice out, but it looked like rain" – express his struggling headspace following his breakup and other struggles, such as his DUI in May. While heartsickness and crooning about love are not rare in hip-hop, Mac Miller makes it stand out with his lyrics' simultaneous genuineness and simplicity. While he does reference Grande and reminisce on their relationship in a few songs, such as "Dunno" and "Perfecto," his exploration past that topic is what makes the album more than a typical tale of heartbreak and a tribute towards personal introspection, growth, and healing.
The album doesn't just cry of heartbreak and sadness for its own sake, either. Rather, it describes and examines many different aspects of mental health in a way that is almost overwhelming in its honesty. "What's the Use?" tells of Miller struggling with his emotions and sentimentality while trying to resist using alcohol as a crutch or coping mechanism. The honesty continues in the track "Self Care," where Miller talks about dealing with the public and media reactions to his breakup with Ariana Grande and his subsequent DUI charge, and how he was able to rise above the criticism and attention. He raps about the pain and confusion of losing a partner in the lyrics "It's feeling like you hot enough to melt, yeah / Can't trust no one, can't even trust yourself, yeah / And I love you, I don't love nobody else, yeah" – but he realizes time and taking care of oneself will inevitably lead to healing when he says, "Self-care, I'm treating me right, yeah / Hell yeah, we gonna be alright" and "I got all the time in the world, so for now I'm just chilling / Plus I know it's a, it's a beautiful feeling, in oblivion, yeah, yeah."
Musically, "Swimming" shows Mac Miller continuing to distance himself from the hyper, classic rap tone and further expanding upon his own style of slower, languid beats and soulful singing rather than just rapping or talking. The instrumentals are plain and dreamy, with orchestra and piano melodies percolating to achieve a powerful, emotional sound (see "Dunno" and "2009"). Further evidence of Miller's evolving musical style in the album are the sometimes jazzy beats that feature bouncy bass lines and synth-pop, like the fun instrumentals of "What's the Use?" and the more low-key tones of "Ladders" and "Small Worlds." Miller also succeeds in his singing, which expresses more than just a music performance and suggests lyrics more genuine and poetic than ever before. His humming and crooning are sometimes seemingly uneasy and offbeat, which again, only serves to describe the discomfort of heartbreak and healing even more accurately.
The only pitfalls of "Swimming" lie in the lyrics, which are sometimes basic and plain to the point of blandness and a disconnect with the listener. It's worth being said that sometimes, the plainness of Miller's words work to his benefit to perfectly capture his expression and mental state, but that doesn't work for every line. Indeed, the album is far stronger instrumentally than it is lyrically.
Mac Miller's "Swimming" achieves the honesty of heartbreak, self-realization, and the nonlinear path to healing in a way no other contemporary hip-hop album has been able to. His personal musings and simply stated sadness through unique beats and instrumentals make the album an emotional masterpiece – and prove his musical transformation was far from over.
