TMZ broke the news on Sept. 7 that rapper Mac Miller had passed away from an apparent drug overdose. He was 26 years old and had released his fifth studio album Swimming a month prior.
Born January 19, 1992 in Pittsburgh, Mac Miller initially broke into the Hip-Hop scene in 2010 when he signed a four-year recording contract with Rostrum Records. He then released the 18 track mixtape K.I.D.S. in August of the same year. The tape gained popularity quickly with tracks such as “Nikes on my Feet” and Miller grew a cult following soon after. A year later, Miller released his first studio album Blue Slide Park. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and according Billboard, it was the first independent album to do so since 1995.
Fast forward three studio albums. In August 2018, Miller released one of his most personal albums, Swimming. At its release, it was met with positive reviews from fans and critics alike. The album explores more emotional and somber themes, including drug addiction and depression. Stylewise, the album takes influence from L.A. style R&B mixed with jazzy bass lines provided by bassist Thundercat. Some other notable names appearing in the producer credits include J.Cole, Dam Funk and Flying Lotus.
On Sept. 7, law enforcement officials informed TMZ that Miller had passed away at around noon from a suspected drug overdose. In the wake of his death, countless celebrities have shared their condolences through social media including fellow Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa, who posted on twitter, “Praying for Mac’s family and that he rest easy.” Friend of Miller and Swimming album contributor J.Cole addressed the death of Miller at a September 9 show in Las Vegas. Speaking to the crowd, a teary eyed Cole announced, “I got this song right now I want to do for y’all … Put y’all cell phones in the sky right now for Mac Miller,” Cole said. “We’re going to do this whole song for him. This whole show is for him.”
He then proceeded to perform his song “Love Yourz” of his album 2014 Forest Hills Drive.
Benjie Knowles, a sophomore at Northwood and fan of Miller since his early music, explained how he believed Miller was still evolving as an artist.
“I felt really sad,” Knowles said. “He was a really influential person in the music industry and had evolved greatly since his first songs […] I really liked his music so it had an impact on me and made me sad.”
Christopher Medina, senior and long time Mac Miller fan, also expressed his sadness of Miller’s passing.
“I grew up listening to him,” Medina said. “He wasn’t a great role model per se, but what he stood for was treating others the way you want to be treated.”
In a statement to Complex, Mac Miller’s family thanked fans for their support.
“He was a bright light in this world for his family, friends and fans,” Miller’s family said. “Thank you for your prayers. Please respect our privacy.”
Miller has been open about his addiction to drugs, telling The Fader, “Overdosing is just not cool, you don’t go down in history because you overdose, you just die.”
In August Miller was also charged with a DUI after crashing his car into a power pole and fleeing the scene.
A vigil for Miller was held on Sept. 11 at Blue Slide Park playground in Pittsburgh. Hundreds of fans arrived to honor the late rapper and formed a petition to get the park named after him. The Pittsburgh Pirates held a moment of silence before their Sept. 17 game versus the Kansas City Royals.
“Mac was a rapper, a singer, a producer and had a very bright future in the industry ahead of him,” the announcer said. “Locally, Mac is remembered as a hometown kid who sang about our city where his heart clearly remained. Our thoughts are with his parents, his grandmother and all of his family and friends who mourn his passing.”
— By Noah Brackett
