On Friday, the young rapper was found dead in his California home from an overdose at the age of 26. It was immediately a shock to many because of his impact on the music industry and other celebrities, but most of all his impact on the molding of many young people's childhoods.
Mac Miller rose to fame with his song "Donald Trump," followed by other hits like "Knock Knock" and "The Way" that any 20 something would remember immediately.
Just weeks before his death, the rapper had released a new album that was raw and different from many of his other works.
If I'm being honest, I never really listened to Mac Miller after the beginning of high school. I loved a few of his songs and listened to them constantly, but I became interested in other types of music. He was always in the headlines, whether it was for his funky music videos or his relationship with Ariana Grande, but I always saw him as the representation of my early teenage years.
We became teenagers when Mac Miller began releasing feel good, weird rap to bump in our first cars. He gave us the music to play over and over again as we navigated our way through the beginning of high school. He related to us through his music and his young age; we felt like we could see ourselves growing up with him, as if we were all experiencing a coming of age together.
It was unreal for me to hear Mac Miller had passed away because he seemed like such a bright spotlight for our generation. He wasn't a cookie cutter rapper who fell into a certain category and related to a certain group; we all appreciated his music in our own way and saw ourselves in his quirky personality.
Mac Miller passing away meant the end of my childhood to me. I turned 20 last month but it wasn't a clear reality for me yet that my teenage years had ended and I was now an adult. Death is the realest thing that a human can experience, and Mac Miller dying was a signal to me that my life as an adult was even more vulnerable than I had expected.
Mac Miller created amazing music. His career was filled with iconic albums and amazing performances that showed his range and his coming of age. While most people come to idolize artists that pass away, I believe Mac Miller truly does deserve eternal stardom. I had never listened to his new music until learning about his death, and I wish I had known his talent before he passed away.
R.I.P. Mac Miller.
