As many people know, Malcolm James McCormick, who was professionally known as Mac Miller, passed away two weeks ago from a supposed overdose. His death has had quite a significant impact on me and I wrote an article last week called "Mac Miller's Death Turned My Entire World Upside Down." I feel like I've grown up with him and his music, and I was devastated that such a legend had been ripped away from the world and from me. However, the one thing I still have left of him is his music, and, thankfully, there's quite a bit of it. Here are my favorite songs by Mac Miller, in no particular order (of course):
"Dang!" (feat. Anderson .Paak)
This song is not only one of my favorite Mac Miller songs, but one of my favorite songs of all time. Mac's music has always brought me joy, but this song never fails to make me happy. I love to listen to it on good days and on bad days.
"Missed Calls"
Every time I've told someone I love Mac Miller (before his death) and been judged for liking a white rapper, I tell them to listen to this song. This song solidified my love for him and his artistry and made me realize that he's more than just "another white rapper."
"S.D.S."
This song, which stands for "Somebody Do Something," was the first single Mac dropped from "Watching Movies With The Sound Off" and one of the very songs I heard by him. I remember listening to this song for the very first time and playing it on repeat for the rest of the day. It didn't sound like anything I had ever heard before and is probably the song that made me fall in love with Mac's music when I was in eighth grade
"Come Back to Earth"
This song has probably screwed with my head the most since Mac Miller's death. It's the first song on the last album he released before his death, "Swimming," and listening to it now is so haunting. He repeats: "I'll do anything for a way out/of my head" throughout the song and describes his new sense of optimism despite his struggle with addiction and depression. I'm planning on getting a tattoo of some lyrics from this song within the next few weeks to honor Malcolm and what he meant to me.
"Donald Trump"
This is one of the songs that propelled Mac Miller to stardom, and it's also one of the first songs I heard of his. Within two days of hearing it in seventh or eighth grade, I had memorized every word and listened to it every day. Now, I listen to the song and it reminds me of when Mac used to play this song as a way to un-endorse Donald Trump in 2015 and 2016 before he (unfortunately) got elected.
"Wings"
This song is perhaps more haunting than "Come Back to Earth" in that Mac is essentially describing himself as an angel. However, it's absolutely beautiful and it's helped me cope with his death.
"My Favorite Part" (feat. Ariana Grande)
Before Mac's tragic passing, this song (along with the entire "Divine Feminine" album) made me feel empowered, understood, and, ultimately, understood. It always used to put a smile on my face. Now, I can't help but think about how much pain Ariana Grande must be going through.
"100 Grandkids"
I remember the night/morning this single dropped. It was the first single from "GO:OD AM," which was about to be Mac's first album since "Watching Movies With The Sound Off." It dropped right before my junior year of high school, which was also going to be my first year of college, and it made me so happy. Now, however, I can't help but think that he'll never get to have grandchildren (depending on if you think about it from a literal perspective or a money perspective).
"Stay"
Basically, every song from "Divine Feminine" is beautiful and incredible and amazing, but the instruments and mellow beat make this song so unique. I have a vinyl record copy of the album and I used to play this song over and over again in early 2017 even though I had to move the needle back and forth each time.
"Goosebumpz"
When I first listened to this song, I was, for lack of a better word, totally shook. It had so much going on and I was turned off, to be completely honest. However, after listening to it again, I warmed up to the different beat and explicit lyrics. This song is one of Mac's most stylistically unique but also one of his best.
"ROS"
This song is sappy as hell, but it's a beautiful love song while still maintaining the rap integrity. This song is also probably one of the best examples of Mac's versatility as an artist, especially the introduction of the song.
"Watching Movies"
This was one of the first singles from his "Watching Movies With The Sound Off" album and it's one of his best. It always puts me in the best mood and it has a super interesting beat. P.S. if they didn't obey Mac's request to throw a couple bad bitches in his casket I'm going to be thoroughly disappointed.
