Welcome to the second blog post of "The Story of Easy Mac." This post will discuss the legacy of Mac Miller and the importance of his posthumous album Circles.
My Thoughts
I hope to really use this second blog post to pay tribute and highlight the great artist that was Mac Miller. I want to focus more on how Circles really captures and "finishes" his legacy after Swimming, as after he passed in 2018 the story of Mac's albums never felt complete. This post will be similar to the final part of my first post. I will give less of a history lesson and more of my own thoughts on Mac's legacy and the impact of Circles. Thank you reading and I hope you enjoy.
This is one of the last "concerts/performances" that Mac ever did. In this episode of Tiny Desk, Mac performs the songs Small Worlds, What's the Use? (Feat. Thundercat) and 2009 from his album swimming.
Swimming in Circles
I remember what I was doing the day that Mac passed in 2018. I just moved into my apartment here in College Station a few months before and was adjusting to life not at my parent's house. I was in the gym with my roommate and my best friend Stephen texted me, "Yoo, you have you seen?" Obviously after, I went to Twitter and saw the news that Mac overdosed in his home.
It hit me as a shock, as I lost my step mom in 2017 to mental health and drug issues. That night and for the next couple weeks I listened to Swimming non-stop and I felt that nothing really added up as to why Mac overdosed. I watched the Zane Lowe Interview below and really thought that Mac was in a good spot mentally and physically.
I really felt that after listening to Swimming that Mac's album legacy was unfinished. I believe that in some ways Mac was hinting at another possible album similar to Swimming coming soon. When Circles came out in January of 2020 I felt that it did justice to Mac's legacy as an artist and felt like a good conclusion to Mac's career, given the circumstances. I was really enjoying the new sound that Mac was creating, a unique combination of Hip-Hop, R&B, Funk, and even Soul.
Source: Genius
I really enjoyed the sound that my favorite artist was creating and was glad to listen to his music for one las time, officially. As mentioned in my previous blog post, I enjoyed the vulnerability of Mac's lyrics and he made me feel like I was not alone in my own struggles. Mac never felt Hollywood, even during the early days of Blue Slide Park and K.I.D.S. Mac was really just one of the boys who made it big, dealing with his own mental struggles and the pressure of Hollywood. Circles is quite difficult to listen to at times, but is a typical Mac album. From a blog I found by Shannon Carroll, I find she sums up Circles really well: "It’s (Circles) extremely reflective in typical Mac Miller fashion, but it also sounds wiser than anything he had made. He sounds like he is accepting where his life is, and while he’s clearly displeased, he’s also at peace with it."
Source: GQ
Those two sentences really sum up what Circles is for the legacy of Mac Miller. While Swimming is my own personal favorite of his albums, I believe that Circles is the most complete. I feel that Mac uses his strengths as an artist while combining them with this sound that he was tapping into. I feel that this album really closes the legacy of this great artist in a way that many posthumous albums rarely can do
This video right here is a good analysis of Circles and how the album fits as a companion album to Swimming. This is a really good watch and I encourage you to see how Mac really created something unique with his final two studio albums.
Unfinished Legacy?
I really have been struggling to find a good title for this closing piece and I felt that Unfinished Legacy fit the bill. While yes, I just spent a good time saying how Circles "finished" Mac's album legacy, I think that Mac is another case of an artist gone to soon when you really think that they are finally realizing their potential. While we will never get to listen to new Mac music or see him in concert, we can appreciate what he gave us during his time.
Source: People.com
One of the main things I appreciated about Mac as an artist was the respect he seemed to have in the scene. While he was known as a rapper (even thought I view him more as an artist), he was respected by people in the entire music scene. I remember Twitter the day he died, the entire music scene was mourning. People from Earl Sweatshirt, Jon Mayer, Elton John, SZA, Vince Staples, and more were mourning the loss of Mac. You really get to see how artists are appreciated when they pass, as unfortunate as it is. The totality of the Mac's passing affected many, as he was responsible for the blow ups of people like Chance the Rapper, Vince Staples, Flatbush Zombies, The Internet, and more. He never felt like someone who was out doing this music stuff for money or fame. He was doing what he loved doing and wanted all of his friends to blow up too. He was special, as many people continue to say when the anniversary of his death comes every year. Like many special artists, he was gone too soon, but he left us with a special legacy of albums and mixtapes that will be celebrated every year.
Source: Time Magazine
In Closing...
To close this final blog post, I just want to say thank you for reading up to this point and I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. I really enjoyed being able to showcase Mac Miller as projects for my class. I hope I was able to do justice for this great artists' story and truly capture just how special he was. To finish this post, I created a quick compilation of snippets of my top 3 Mac songs. Enjoy and thank you once again!
Source: My iMovie
Sources
Carroll, S. (2020, January 27). Closing Mac Miller's Legacy with 'Circles'. Medium. https://medium.com/@sec220/closing-mac-millers-legacy-with-circles-9fccb6ebbb18.
Carter, B., & Madden, S. (2018, September 11). Appreciating The Unfinished Legacy Of Mac Miller. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2018/09/11/646519223/appreciating-the-unfinished-legacy-of-mac-miller.
Davies, H. (2020). 92 'till Infinity: How Circles cements Mac Miller's legacy. PILERATS. http://pilerats.com/music/rap/mac-miller-circles-legacy/.
Kelley, F. (2018, November 5). What Will Mac Miller's Legacy Be? NPR. https://www.npr.org/2018/11/05/663398174/what-will-mac-millers-legacy-be.
Lynch, R. (2020, January 30). "Circles" impacts fans, Mac Miller's legacy. Best of SNO. https://bestofsno.com/39928/arts-entertainment/circles-impacts-fans-mac-millers-legacy/.
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