Since Mac Miller hit the rap scene over five years ago, his style has surely evolved, to say the least. His first mixtapes resembled the hip hop sub-genre of frat rap, relating to his college fan base. In 2011, he finally released Blue Slide Park, his debut album, which left many fans rather disappointed. In 2013, he bounced back with his sophomore release, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, which was a transformative album for Miller. The vibe was much less frat rap, and much more experimental. Fans came along for the ride, and were very satisfied, bringing Mac Miller to his full potential.
This only made fans crave more from Miller, who has finally returned after over two years with GO:OD AM, his first major label release. Mac has continued his departure from the ‘frat rap’ sub-genre he was labeled with for so many years and has attempted to find a balance between his previous release and his early mixtape days. The result is a project that will be refreshing to some, and have others scratching their heads on what to think.
Following the album’s intro, GO:OD AM starts off with a roll out of soon to be classic Mac tunes like "Brand Name," "‘Rush Hour," the Ab-Soul featured "Two Matches,’" and the Lil B supported "Time Flies." Each of these opening tracks is sure to excite the ears of his fans with some solid beats and that classic Mac flow.
With any major label release, the obvious radio single is a requirement. With that said, "100 Grandkids," the album’s lead single is a perfectly acceptable and pleasant listen. It sounds less like a Mac Miller sellout track, and more like a track that’s attempting to branch out to a wider audience. At the same time, it goes back to a theme Mac touches on in multiple tracks of GO:OD AM: growing up. His mother wants him to start a family and settle down, meanwhile Mac Miller is still trying to find himself before he could consider such a thing.
Towards the second half of GO:OD AM, we see this new release take a much more experimental turn that is much less label-friendly. Mac goes deeper into the personal issues he wants to share on the mic. He also creates music that may not be appealing to all of his fans. We hear slower jams like "ROS," and "Ascension." At certain points, listeners can catch a mean case of the yawns that resemble his album cover. It’s nice to see Mac Miller still maintaining his creative integrity after signing to a major label, but some times its downright drowsy. With all that said, the second half of GO:OD AM still has some solid tracks like the Chief Keef-featured "Cut the Check," the nearly eight-minute "Perfect Circle/God Speed," and "Jump."
As the album comes to a close, Mac Miller’s GO:OD AM shares some close similarities to Watching Movies with the Sound Off, but it does not quite match its caliber. While it is a more personal album altogether, some of the most personal tracks tend to be the most dull. The first half of the album is superb Mac Miller and will be enjoyed by many, but the second half is a much more acquired taste. The result is an album that feels just a few tracks too many, and those extra songs should’ve be put on a deluxe edition. This was actually a flaw in his previous release as well. Quality over quantity prevails quite often with hip hop albums, and GO:OD AM is an example (and victim) of exactly that.
Grade: B-
