My Dedication To Mac Miller; Finding Life In Death, And Both In Music

                               (*Image Originally Used By DJ Booth For This Article*)

I was in high school (circa 2009-2010) when a sudden plethora of Pittsburgh artists started paving their own way onto the hip hop scene; the likes of Wiz Khalifa, Chevy Woods, and (brief rumblings of) the young old head Beedie all had a different sound that pushed the ideas of what hip hop could sound like and turn into, more sub-categories that give people the options and follow the moods in which people feel. Then, in 2011, I was introduced to an artist who (at the time) I didn't know, or have any idea or inclination that would change my perception on music and how it could be made and heard, forever. "Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza" had a very child-like excitement about it (though with budding adolescent intentions), an excitement that I could not understand at the time. I couldn't help but think to myself, "why is this guy rapping about an after school special meal for middle class white kids to come home to?  Why is he so full of himself?  And why is he acting like every other wannabe kid in my high school, but actually getting recognition for it?" Well, as it turned out; every other wannabe kid... wanted to be him. Although the early years of "Eazy Mac with the cheesy raps" wasn't exactly my type of meal to indulge in, the following 8 years to come had shown me the most interesting artistic transformation from a rapper I have ever seen... and probably will hold that title for decades to come.




To see such a transformation from ANY hip hop artist, let alone a goofy white boy from Pittsburgh, PA was staggering. The younger, unpolished The High Life, KIDS, and Best Day Ever years saw a Mac that to me seemed to lack identity; a fusing of rap's culmination up to the years of 2009-2010. The beats were head bobbers and the hooks were recite-worthy, but the real artist in Malcolm McCormick hadn't seemed to come to fruition yet; it's almost as if Mac hadn't quite yet graduated to the sound that fit him, like his famous Pittsburgh fitted hats. But with that goofy white boy smile, a happy-go-lucky swagger, and the "never settle" work ethic that brought us so much Mac music in so little time (12 mixtapes and 5 studio albums since 2007) had turned Mac into not only one of the most respected rappers of the blogging era, but one of the most revered artists of this generation.


           

2012 saw Mac taking a different route musically; a sonic transformation that (whether due to critical scrutiny or personal wishes) molded and morphed Mac into an era of artistic experimentation incomparable to any other rapper. His dark mind and vivid imagination started to allow Mac to experiment in parameters never before explored by hip hop artists with his descriptive and off-the-wall style and comedy in his writing, which was met with an equal level of high as much as his realistic and brutal talks of death, depression and despair brought on fiery depths of the lowest of lows that no human should wish to see. Mac for so long danced with the "Diablo" of the deep in what can only be described as a form of "method music making"; using his ability to craft real and raw songs from almost every emotion he ever felt at any given time. At Mac's highs, his fans experienced The High Life with him. But at Mac's lows, his people watched movies with the sound off while experimenting in creative ways that exercised the brain, and pushed the mind to it's absolute limits, somehow without reaching levels that would put the happiest person in a mental hospital. This was Mac's way of expression, an outlet that represented the true extra terrestrial nature of a man from Pittsburgh; who was for Earth, but not from it. A being that understood the every ways of humans more than any one of us pedestrians ever could.


(Just as great a performer as he was an emcee, Mac thrived off of using live instruments and wasn't afraid to use his singing talents, pushing that emotion he felt and transforming it into great music)                      


Watching Movies With The Sound Off brought that same sound, magnified. I spent a solid month to 2 months listening to the album out of curiosity and research (a couple years after the album came out, circa 2015), and feeling Mac tow the line between skilled emcee and talented musician was astounding. I had only been able to get that real and raw reaction and emotion from 1 other rapper, who is famous for his Man On The Moon series. Mac's fearlessness in being weird and unaccepted allowed not only me, but an entire generation of kids to feel okay about not being okay. To be able to be weird and explore yourself could ultimately lead to the loving of yourself, and it probably wouldn't be far fetched to say that that was Mac's intention all along. On songs like "I Am Who I Am (Killin' Time)" and "Objects In The Mirror", Mac's brutal honesty and uncomfortable sadness was not only an experiment for his own happiness, but a representation of the places we may have to travel to in order to ultimately reach happiness. "Aquarium" is the hand that reaches out to catch you on an album that represents falling to your death; the saving grace that says even after all of the bullshit... we will be okay, as long as you "follow yourself wherever your mind goes."




Despite the terribly unfortunate circumstances, it would be untrue to say that Mac had not experienced happiness. In an eerily profound way, his music also represented happier times in the Pittsburgh emcee's life, which you can already picture when you imagine that ear to ear grin he always gave right before letting out a laugh that could change the mood of almost anybody. His 3rd studio album, GO:OD AM  showed the brightest side of Mac that we had seen to date, with Mac finally coming to grips with his failures as much as he had his success, his flaws as a man finally accepted by the most important person in his life; himself. He stopped trying so much to become his own idea of great and started attempting more to enjoy his life, which was very much represented on GO:OD AM. Mac's focus had finally shifted to enjoying what he did, and it showed in his happiness and the fun he was having in making songs again ("Cut The Check", "100 Grandkids", "Weekend", "Clubhouse", "In The Bag", "Cut The Check"), while that signature ability to tap into his emotions better than almost anyone still remained sharp as a sword, the little nuances spread all throughout the album.


(Mac's chilling last music video he ever released
*I do not own these videos, or the rights to them*)


It's truly frightening to think about the signs of depression and drug addiction that Malcolm James McCormick showed throughout the years, but our regret lies in not being able to help him when he needed it. His struggle with addiction was well documented for years, but for an extended period of time his music seemed to be the saving grace of not only his fans, but Mac himself. Mac Miller will go down as one of the most expressive, delightfully weird, thought provoking and open minded rappers that hip hop has ever seen. His ever changing metamorphosis as an artist pushed hip hop to it's absolute boundaries, and though he passed at a tragically young age, his influence will reign on hip hop and it's own cult following, as well as his own cult following inside of the already scrutinized medium of expression for yea... decades to come. His mind bending concepts and at times, uncomfortably honest music not only represents Mac Miller as the expressive artist that he always was, but the beautiful human that he will always be remembered as. For every moment of positive recognition that Mac received, he shined a beaming spotlight on his shortcomings ten times brighter, with the utmost hope and effort to better himself in any and every way possible; an example that every human should follow and take notes on. We should take Malcolm's comfortability in speaking so heavily about death not as regretful or remorseful, but as acceptance that he is finally comfortable, and most of all; content. Rest Easy, Mac.


I woke up from a long night of Watching Movies With The Sound Off to quite a GO:OD AM. The light shined through the blinds harder than I had ever seen it, and though I was slightly blinded by the light, I finally felt awake. As I made my way to Blue Slide Park to reminisce in memories, I saw a bunch of KIDS playing on the slide, at the same time I also wished for better days. But then I thought, I didn't need to wish anymore... I finally feel as if I got my wish. I made my way to the pool to go Swimming, and prepared to Jump in. For some reason, this Jump felt the most in the moment I had ever felt in my life. In the air I thought about nothing, nothing at all. Not a single thing besides the anticipation of the cool water sending waves of pleasure and fulfillment through me... I finally hit the water and came to a realization. I plopped out of the water with the brightest eyes and the biggest pupils possible... was I high?  Not at all. But I was finally living The High Life.        




                 


                     











   

            

Observations From Mac Miller's Swimming

When it comes to Mac Miller, it's always been difficult to define his sound as one particular style or subgenre of hip hop, sometimes even as music as a whole (the man makes hip hop Beatles experimental music, let's be real). His transformation from budding retro kid with a goofy grin to the serious hip hop artist (and I didn't say "rapper" because Mac cannot be boxed in) he has become has been truly spectacular. From fun projects like Kids and Best Day Ever, to some of his most serious content like Faces and Watching Movies With The Sound Off, Mac has always been willing, able, ad ready to tackle a new challenge both mentally, and sonically. But what is Swimming? What does it mean in relation to Mac's past and discography as a whole?  Is Mac trying to make us feel better by saying that he's not drowning in things anymore, or is Mac truly Swimming and flourishing like the Olympian we all know he can be?  Here are my observations from Mac Miller's latest peculiar project below.


Emotional Weight Not Only In The Lyrics, But In The Music As Well


As far as vulnerability in his lyrics, Swimming proves to be Mac's most introspective and personal album to date. That raw feeling and emotion that Mac has shown glimpses of in the past shines through like the morning sun glaring through a set of freshly opened curtains, hitting you unapologetically and prideful in it's openness and willingness to share, through the ups, downs, and balances of life. On "Come Back To Earth", Mac discusses his regrets, comparing them to "texts I shouldn't send." It's lines like that and "things I tell you, I shouldn't even tell myself", that set the tone early for Mac's raw candidness that takes place throughout the album. On the first song of the album to receive the music video treatment, "Self Care", Mac spends his time doing what the title insists; taking care of himself. A different take from the average Mac narrative, the struggle is still evident in Mac's day to day lifestyle, but after the beat change up just over halfway through the track, the realization sets in. Mac keeps referring to the "oblivion" he almost gets stuck in, as well as navigating the fear of the unknown and not only his, but the average person's willingness to proceed through it. Certainly a powerful message when taking Mac's drug-fueled past into account, "Self Care" is an eye opening refresher to Mac fans, as well as a pleasant thing to hear that he is pushing through life with no fear, or at least not as much as before.


A Funky Subtleness That Strays Away From The Rap Sound, But Isn't A Complete Experiment

          

It's always seemed as if Mac's boredom with the "run of the mill" hip hop sound has propelled his own sound into new heights, and Swimming is another continuous demonstration of that. His use of more live instrumentation and less instrumentals throughout the album adds a more raw, emotional sound (along with the elements I discussed above) that give a more organic, "naked" feel to the atmosphere of the album as a whole. In the representation of what this means for the album's theme, this adds not only a layer to the more purely musical aspect of the album, but also another layer to the emotional weight that the album carries; Mac is as real as the instruments he uses. On "Wings", Mac uses a very lighthearted snare to (in weird ways) represent a much more upbeat sound and feel, almost to say "I feel like how my music sounds; happy."  As the hook sings, "these are my wings", which says "I know my low points can be bad, but I have some high points too." On one of the album's last songs, "Jet Fuel", Mac continues the use of that smooth, cool calm and collected types of basslines and jazz instrumentation to represent his feelings of confidence and reassurance to himself, and it shows in the closing of the song's chorus; "but I never run out of jet fuel." The evolution throughout just Swimming alone is an excellent summary of Mac's journey through depression, drug addiction, and his continuous road to recovery and happiness; a road that we can all relate to wanting to travel through.


Is Mac Miller Finally In A Better Place?

(*I do not own any of these songs, or the rights to them*)

If you've paid any sort of attention to Mac's discography in the past, you'd have to be a deaf Stevie Wonderin' what the eff is going on with Mac Miller's life. The Pittsburgh emcee has made some of the darkest, most experimental music that hip hop has seen in the 2010's, and a lot of it has been due in part to his past drug problems. The places that the drugs have taken him in terms of his "music making methods" have been some definite experiments, and whether they've done more right for him musically, you have to admit this Swimming version of Mac Miller sounds like Mac Miller version 3.0. While still able to keep the hallucinatory vibes with his dream-like entities of songs, Mac has come out the other side somehow completely clear minded and headstrong; able to reminisce without getting stuck, and able to look forward to the future without getting frightened at the idea of it. The epitome of the meaning of Swimming can be embodied by one line in the song "Jet Fuel"; "my head under water and I ain't in the shower and I ain't gettin' baptized." But what does this mean for Swimming as a whole?  The album does a beautiful job of starting out with those negatives that we all know so well; the reminiscing, the drugs and alcohol (okay maybe not everyone knows those that well), the break ups, the never being able to forgive yourself, and the seemingly drowning atmosphere that life can provide at times. But this is why the album is named what it is; the transition from those beginning negatives turn into Mac figuring it out, and turning those negatives into positives. He's not doing drugs anymore, he's using his time productively. He's not dwelling on a break up, he's putting those feelings into a song for you to relate to, and to use as therapy. And he's not dwelling on the past and the negative, he's realizing that he's only human, and that it's okay to make mistakes. But just because you make those mistakes, it doesn't mean you have to drown in them, no. Mac is proving on this album, that after everything you've been through and being thrown in the deep end, you can come out of the other side Swimming.          


                    










   

ICYMI: Mac Miller Releases 3 New Songs

In case you missed it, earlier yesterday Mac Miller took to YouTube, and all other streaming services to release 3 new songs.

The 3 new songs - titled "Buttons", 'Small Worlds", and "Programs" - sort of came out of nowhere for the Pittsburgh rapper, and only a brief 2 weeks after it was reported that Mac was arrested and charged with a DUI and Hit and Run after hitting a power line pole and crashing his car in the San Fernando Valley of California.

One can only hope that Mac is not hitting rock bottom again after it was confirmed that Mac and his girlfriend of over a year, singer Ariana Grande, called it quits.  Although in some cases with musicians (especially one as creative as Mac) bad things happening can mean for some inspiration on the music making front,  Mac's history with drug abuse may worry some fans as to how the rapper has been dealing with the break up. Prayers up for Mac and his health.

Check out the 3 new Mac songs below.








(*I do not own any of these songs, or the rights to them*)







      

I Can't Stop Listening To Michael Christmas' 'Shadows"

I know this dude has been on the come up for a second, I know this guy has been featured on other blogs during his current come up, but I never knew this guy had a sound that was so addicting. As far as Michael Christmas goes, this is the first song of his I have heard, but if his newest album What A Weird Day is going to sound anything like this song, then you better believe I'm tuning in for it.

If you don't know about Michael Christmas, he has another album out by the name of Is This Art? that released in 2014 with no huge named features, so it seems he is looking to earn his own come up, a strategy that would earn my respect any day. His newest album What A Weird Day is set for release on October 23rd, and will feature some big names like Mac Miller, D.R.A.M., Logic, and more. His latest single I'm currently raving about (Shadows, produced by Logic's own producer 6ix) is available on iTunes via free download if you pre order the album. You can listen to "Shadows" below.

                                               (*I do not own this song, or the rights to it*)    

Watching Movies With The Moon Man: My Infatuation With "Weird" Hip Hop

I put quotes around the word "weird' in the title because many people's definition of the word is not always self explanatory. A person's definition of weird is only explainable when you truly don't understand what the fuck they are talking about. Weird can be defined by something you don't understand, weird can be defined by something you don't find okay to talk about normally, or it can be defined simply by opposing the norm; the abnormal. Other synonyms include uncanny, eerie, unnatural, supernatural, unearthly, otherworldly, ghostly, mysterious, strange, or unusual. So what is weird to you?  Probably a lot of different things; some people don't like insects, others don't understand the thought of supernatural beings (see "weird" synonyms) such as aliens, and then when it comes to music, you probably wouldn't be surprised how many people are afraid to exit the comfort zone that they call "my playlist."  I've been one of these people for so long, I've become a robot where the only music that is visual to me is from my favorite artists, whether I feel they're going in the right direction or not (see B.o.B or Slaughterhouse, shaking my head at both for different reasons). But when someone puts out a project that draws a lot of criticism for how "weird" it sounds, you truly need to ask yourself why you call it weird; is it because the music, or because you're not used to what they're saying?  Is it because the artist has changed, or is it because you're not ready for this certain artist's transcendence as a human being?  It's time for music fans to understand the differences.

We are all human. Every human being on this planet is from a different city or state (for the most part), born on a different date, at a different time, in a different country, in a different hospital, we're all different. Artists are human beings that go through rough patches, different time periods, people, places, and things just as you and me go through, and some people forget that. Some people (such as myself, the angry rap nerd that I am) criticize their favorite artists constantly because one project doesn't sound like the last, or one song isn't as catchy as the last, or because their favorite artist isn't talking about the same things that he/she did on the last project. People create memories with certain music which could be a huge reason why they get so defensive and angry about the "new" music, but these people don't take into account that their favorite musicians have to move on, and tackle the next obstacle... whether that be the next allegation, the next interview, or the next instrumental.

                                           (*The real conversation starts at the 1:09 mark*)

Here's a test (watch the video above on Kid Cudi's comments); what do you think about this?  Are Cudi's comments, is his topic of conversation "weird" to you?  Forget that Cudi has made a staple in this game and has been one of the most influential "rappers" (parenthesis because he truly is an artist, in every sense of the word) of this generation. Forget about Cudi's music and pretend it doesn't exist for a second; if Jay-Z, Lil Wayne or even 50 Cent were to make these exact same comments, would you still think of them as the hard kings of "the rap lifestyle"?  Would they still be as influential to you?  Do you view your favorite rapper as a person, or a persona?

(You'd have to be on drugs to understand some things Mac says in this song, then again he says some not-so-crazy things in his verses as well. *I do not own these videos or the rights to them*)

 

 Mac Miller (as I've posted about a few days prior and whom has been the biggest inspiration for this post) has become one of the most different rap artists out there. Is that good, or is that bad?  I've been listening to Watching Movies With The Sound Off a lot lately, another project I slept on during the time of its release, and I couldn't help but connect to Mac, no matter how drugged up, drugged out, high, low, or drunk he was. Mac talks about doing literally every drug in the book if you've seen some of his recent interviews, and most of it seems to be the inspiration for projects like Watching Movies With The Sound Off and his 2014 mix tape Faces (because who could write or rap like this sober?). Why I connect with this Mac Miller (is not because I'm on drugs) is because he's making himself vulnerable. He needed drugs to do it, but would it be bad to say that drugs have made Mac Miller relatable, or even great?  The music is insane on WMWTSO, but the album got rave reviews from fans, and commercially has been Mac's most successful album, (debuting at #3 on the Billboard 200 and selling 101k copies first week). Forget the album sales and the Billboard charting... Did Mac not make himself more relatable to you when you listened to WMWTSO?  Mac (like Kid Cudi) is his own, fantastic form of WEIRD, and I love it. Weird works in music, and it's not because 100,000 people out there think that it's weird, but because 10,000 people out there connected to it, and it has somehow changed their lives. This is how albums, music, and artists become unforgettable.

 

Weird can be the type of person that annoys you, it can be when you don't understand someone's thoughts or actions, weird can be when you don't have a clue what the fuck someone is talking about, or weird can be defined by opposing the norm; doing, saying, or being something that is not seen or heard every day. But a lot of "weird" things happen every day, a lot of not so normal things occur on the daily, and people say and do things every day that are not set to the "politically correct" standards that society holds. So does that really make it all weird at the end of the day?  Weird is awesome, weird is a change of pace from the same crap you hear from the same people.Weird is not always going to make an appearance at the interviewer's table, but weird is another weird way of saying that you exist. Weird is not so bad after all, because weird is genuine. We need more weird people in the world, let alone weird artists.              

 

                     

          






        

          

Mac Miller's GO:OD A.M: What Do You Expect?

From Easy Mac With The Cheesy Raps to ImMACulate (I just made that up, Em style). From KIDS to Macadelic. From Blue Slide Park to Watching Movies With The Sound Off, Mac Miller has transformed himself into a sort of morphing, conscious, yet heavily drug influenced Two Face of the rap industry. On one side of it all, you have the KIDS version of Mac. Clean rap (as in strictly weed and no other "influences"), catchy hooks, and an incredibly likable character that makes music based on the stoner life. Then comes the morphing process, and you get Watching Movies With The Sound Off (and not to mention Faces) Mac Miller. Suddenly a switch is flipped; the music becomes more abstract along with the rhymes, the subject matter becomes something only a drugged out rock star in the 60s could relate to, and Mac taps into an alter ego of sorts. Both sides of Mac have gained fans (personally Faces got my attention, which led to Watching Movies With The Sound Off ), but there is only 1 Mac. Which Mac will we see on his upcoming album, GO:OD A.M.?

A clean Mac Miller. In case you haven't been keeping up with Mac since his resurfacing back into the music scene, he recently moved to New York with his girlfriend, and is currently in the process of keeping clean of drugs (although not alcohol as seen by his Breakfast Club interview, he admits it's a work in process). Mac knows he disappeared and will tell you himself, but for good reason. He kicked the bad habits (most of them), and a big part of this is due to his moving to legendary producer Rick Rubin's home in Malibu for the summer of 2014. " For 2 to 3 years, I was just numb," Mac was quoted as saying in an interview with Grantland. "So when you're coming out of that, it's all going to come out at once. I was crying every day."

With Mac's drug problem being a big part of his music making process, it would be safe to assume that we'd see quite a different Mac on his upcoming GO:OD AM album, set for a September 18th release. With both singles that have been released, it's hard to tell what to expect from Mac's upcoming album (I've learned not to judge an album based on a single), but we do see some comedy with "100 Grandkids", and we do hear Mac back to his rappity rap shit on "Break The Law."

Mac recently (finally) signed a major label deal with Warner Bros. for $10 million. Now if you know Mac Miller and how he's come up in rap, a lot of his fans like to take his side because he's been independent all of these years (I'd hope you wouldn't just like a rapper because he's independent, but some people enjoy being rebels without a cause), so Mac's signing a deal with a Major definitely raises some flags amongst his loyal fans, but Mac encourages people not to worry about his music changing because creatively he will still go through the same process. Mac says in his interview with The Breakfast Club on Power 105.1; "That was a big thing. There's no executive producer, there's no A&R. There were labels that I got that vibe from, but with Warner, they said you do you, and whenever you want to give us a single, let us know."

Mac also explained the album title, GO:OD A.M.: "I didn't like Good Morning as a title, but I liked it as a concept. I wanted the album to be like, that breath of fresh air. I wanted the idea to be refreshing. You know, you wake up in the morning and it's new." Mac also went on to explain that producer No I.D. gave him the idea for the album title.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxkkvNTU0qo
(Mac's second single, "Break The Law", *I do not own these videos or the rights to them*)

Faces and Watching Movies With The Sound Off  are 2 of Mac's absolute best projects. Now admittedly I haven't extensively listened to all of KIDS or Best Day Ever (what Mac's diehards say are some of his best projects), but when I hear things like "Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza" or 'Senior Skip Day", I have to admit I'm not impressed. I don't hear the spitting ability as something like "Here We Go" off of Faces, and I don't hear the abstract sound that makes him different from every other rapper on the planet like "The Star Room" off of Watching Movies With The Sound Off. Both of these projects give Mac that "it" factor that he just doesn't have on his early mix tapes. These 2 projects are Mac's Two-Face to his Harvey Dent (meaning musically AND lyrically, WMWTSO and Faces are Mac at his best). I can only hope that Mac's "alter ego" doesn't lead to a complete relapse, and his drug-influenced (it'd be wrong to say "greatness") music doesn't mean the death of him in the end.          

 










 

                    

Oh Yes I Did: Comparing Rappers' Styles To The Beatles

Okay so before I get going on this post I feel like I should explain myself to any Beatles fan, old hard rock fan, or any old head music fan for that matter: this post is in no way comparing the accomplishments, the influence, or the threshold that the Beatles have held on music to ANY other artist of the last 50 years (even more than that, actually). There is no comparison to them even in the slightest. Their accomplishments and influence is unrivaled, no artist or band has had such a lasting impact on music for generations (and generations to come) as much as the Beatles have. John Lennon and Paul McCartney remain 2 of the top 10 greatest song writers of all time (I'd even put George Harrison up there with them, though he'd probably disagree), and numbers will never lie. However, I would like to use this post to simply point out the comparisons and concepts that may mimic the Beatles (in rap you say?  It can't be done!  Don't belee me juuuu watch). If anything, this post will show the continued influence the Beatles have on music (yes, even rap, a lot of rappers are smarter than you think and they do in fact respect their elders). So read on and enjoy the comparisons of writing styles in rap vs. the Beatles.

Quotable lyrics: "And if God was a human it'd be yours truly watching horror movies with some foreign groupies thinking this décor suits me, I do drugs get more loopy, I'm in tune to ancient jiu jitsu's spirituals it's blissful, looking out as far as eyes can see, I'm glad that me and this elevation could finally meet, I think I'm JFK's final speech, they try assassinating all of my beliefs."

The easiest choice (to me) would be easy mac with the cheesy raps. If his latest album Watching Movies With The Sound Off or his latest mix tape Faces says anything about him, it's that he has truly transformed himself as not only a rapper, but an incredibly diverse artist. It takes many drugs to reach a level where you feel making a song like "The Star Room" is acceptable to rap culture (which it's not, and that's what makes it great). The best thing about this song isn't even the quoted lyrics above: it's the fact that Mac's alternate personality Delusional Thomas takes over with crazy lyrics that you could only truly understand on drugs, and maybe not even then. Mac is known to take on many personalities in his raps, other than the usual rapping Mac Miller there is Delusional Thomas and Mac even has a producing side to him that he's named Larry Fisherman. It is said that only geniuses get bored with their lives and make up alternate personalities for themselves, and this certainly makes sense with Mac Miller given his musical history; Mac in 2010 compared to Mac in 2014 is almost a completely different artist.

The Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" might be a tad for the more experimental types:  the song writing is questionable, but the picture it paints for you is incomparable to almost any other song ever written. Actually, it's probably safe to say that the only songs that could ever come close to it in terms of imaginative song writing would just be more Beatles songs. I'd say if you wanted to listen to this you certainly shouldn't do it sober, you'd have to be on something stronger than alcohol or weed to truly be amazed by this song (and probably sit there debating what the hell John is really talking about), but even sober you can't help but sit and marvel at how the hell this guy John Lennon came up with this. Mac Miller and John Lennon may not have been writing about the same concepts when you compare "The Star Room" to "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", but it'd be hard to argue that they weren't under the influence of the same thing.

Big K.R.I.T probably isn't the first guy you think of when you think "imaginative song writing" or "genre changing music" (second one is debatable), but his latest album Cadillactica is certainly one that could change your perspective on him as an artist. In case you haven't gotten the concept of Cadillactica, I'll fill you in; long story short, K.R.I.T created his own planet and the music on this planet is fucking insane. The beats on this album are almost futuristic (although it includes those bumping bangers you love K.R.I.T so much for), and it fits so well because not only did K.R.I.T evolve himself as an artist, but he stepped up his game by replying to "Control" by basically saying "fuck you, I reside on my own planet with no other artist." Game changing rap, this is, young sky walker.

The Beatles were so ahead of their time at one point in their careers that they got bored with being so good. They got so bored of being good in fact, that they wanted to make a concept album describing what it's like to be the average band (hard to describe average nowadays, at least during this time period it was average). Although the Beatles were never considered average, could it be possible that the Beatles are really the first band/artists to make a concept album?  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is widely considered the first "concept" album, the main reason being because the Beatles were not being themselves; they were taking on a different persona as a completely different band altogether. This "concept" album concept (mind = blown) is still used today, and is definitely what you could say K.R.I.T used to make Cadillactica, and the double personas concept is applied to Mac with Delusional Thomas, and even one of the greatest hip hop groups in history (debatably) used to describe their personas in their lyrics, D12 (Eminem as Slim Shady, Proof as Dirty Harry, etc.). Are you seeing the way the Beatles maybe paved some ways for hip hop yet?

It's pretty damn hard to observe music nowadays and not see/hear something that the Beatles didn't inspire. Like, seriously. If you're a youngin like me (the fresh, crisp age of 21, in my prime I might add), then you might not have really understood the impact that the Beatles have had on music until now. Hopefully you have too because the Beatles' fingerprint on music is in stone and it shall forever be, but the point is that their influence hits home for every genre, not just rock. The influence of the Beatles lies in all of rap music, not just the examples I shared, and some of these artists don't even realize how inspired they've been by the Beatles, which is the amazing part, because that's the impact and the altitude of which the Beatles have had on music altogether. The Beatles even rhymed in some of their work, you could practically say the Beatles were rap pioneers (not really, but in a sense)! The point here is that if you think you know music, you probably really don't know music until you've started at the roots of the ever growing tree that music is; The Beatles.      

   


         

    
      


     

The Year In Rap: 2014

Another year goes by, another roller coaster ride of rappity rap is put in the books, and more New Years resolutions are going to be made that probably won't pan out to be followed as planned (I however am planning to listen to little to no amount of music from Rae Sremmurd, so far I've kept my promise and it's not even the new year, isn't that amazing?). From elevator fights over who knows what to the incredible rise of one of the hottest new rappers out, to rap reaching new levels of fan interaction and battle rap pummeling it's way into the mainstream, 2014 was absolutely filled with excitement. Where do we even begin?

In terms of albums being released, J. Cole has seemingly owned the year, and just within the last month of it all. Cole had only announced his 2014 Forrest Hills Drive this November and it has without a doubt been the most interesting story in rap, quite possibly in all of music this year. With little to no promotion for the actual album itself, Cole still made headlines over the incredibly humble moves he made involving his fans this year, hosting events like album listening sessions at his own house, random stops at events and performing for fans, and there was even one instance where Cole showed up to a fan's house to give out signed copies of the album, take pictures and even hang out with the fan for a little bit. To top it all off Cole's newest release has just recently been certified gold by the RIAA, and it's certainly well deserved. Other successful album releases included Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Royce Da 5'9, and Kevin Gates even charted with a specially released mix tape.

(Cole performed his song "Be Free" on Letterman to promote not the new album, but the recent Ferguson violence and Erick Sermon's death by chokehold. His sweatshirt reads "Fuck Money Spread Love" in logos. Is Cole the new Tupac?)

Another huge story that took over headlines the time it had happened was the famed Beyoncé, Jay Z and Solange Knowles elevator incident. This led to jokes, memes, interview questions, and even (alleged) song lyrics talking about the matter. The story is that supposedly Solange got very angry at Jay Z (why, nobody knows, she might have been drunk) and the surveillance video shows Solange continuously punching and kicking Jay Z while he just stood there and took it (like a man should of course). Was Solange trying to stand up for her sister?  Could Jay really have cheated on Beyoncé?  Was Solange in need of money and did Jay just tell her to go start her own label?  All of these could have been plausible questions that still nobody has any answers for. Check out the surveillance video below.

Iggy Azalea had an absolutely huge year as well, and it's hard to deny that she got massive attention even if you don't like her music, but the attention was hot one second then cold the next. Her constant beef and involvement with other rappers/celebrities on social media probably wasn't the attention she was looking for, but the saying "any press is good press" comes to mind when you think of Iggy (maybe not if you're really a fan). I'm not exactly a super fan of Iggy myself, but you have to respect what she is doing and how much of a following she's built in such a short period of time. I do know that she can rap given the chance, even though The New Classic isn't the best evidence of that claim. Her huge year was more evidence of how the Grammy's overlook other truly great music though, and in terms of rap Macklemore definitely wasn't the most deserving candidate for best rap album (he even admitted it and put out an apology to Kendrick).

Macklemore's apology to Kendrick seemed to get mixed opinions and views from people, some people said Macklemore shouldn't have apologized seeing as it takes away the competitive aspect of rap, while some others gained a newfound respect for Macklemore and saw it as him "seeing the unfairness to hip hop from the Grammys." This unfairness has been a thing for quite some time now, and it became even more of a thing when Kendrick's album, Good Kid Maad City, which some people highly consider the best hip hop album of the past 20 years or so (although the word "classic" has been thrown around many more times than it should), got snubbed at the Grammy's and lost to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' The Heist. To many people The Heist wasn't even as good as any of the other nominees, which included Drake's Nothing Was The Same, Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail, and Kanye West's Yeezus.

The mix tape circuit has been almost as exciting as the album circuit this year, if not more so. There are many that stand out among the best, a few that got a bunch of attention were ones like Mick Jenkins' The Waters, Kevin Gates' By Any Means, Lil B's 05 Fuck Em, and many more, but the one that garnered my attention the most had to be Mac Miller's Faces. Being a Mac hater (admittedly) since his mix tape days of course I saw this mix tape and didn't bat an eye at it at first, but I had a friend introduce me to Faces and I have to say I was immediately impressed by not just the skill, but the musical range of Mac as well. What he can do with a song is truly amazing, his production skills are almost as good as his rapping abilities, and he know how to truly entertain someone with his abstract writing ability and topics, and Faces is the absolute pinnacle of Mac's abilities. Faces doesn't seem like a mix tape at all, it seems more like an album to me, I mean why else would it not have any DJ tags?  The rumors of his being on drugs during the entire process is certainly plausible (I mean come on, have you LISTENED to it?), and his mental state is something you'd certainly worry about if what he raps about is true, it almost seems as if Mac has entered this sort of "Slim Shady" phase where he feels like he has to do drugs to draw the influence and become great. The music is great and the fans are happy, but when it comes to Mac being healthy, you have to wonder.

                                (*I do not own any of these videos, songs, or the rights to them*)      

So with the elevator fights, the crazy amount of good music, the snubbing of rap at awards shows (as usual) and so much beef you could cut it with a knife, you have to wonder what 2015 will bring. Rumors are there will be new albums from Kendrick, Drake, Kanye, Mac Miller and too many more to name, the anticipation is always there but you never know how the year will turn out until it's actually happening (or if you're like me and you really don't think about it at all until just now). Rap is constantly on the move in terms of advancement of the culture and how people see it and how seriously they take it, and I feel like there will always be that certain audience who can't take it seriously just because of the egos involved, but if you're not confident and can't take pride in what you do, then how can you say you love it?  The competition will only get better (especially as Kendrick continues to slowly slither his way back into the music scene), the music will only be top notch, and the rhymes will be so much farther ahead of us than we even know. So to end the last post of the year, allow me to leave you with some advice:  take time to enjoy your music, the times in your life, the people in your life, and the ride of what's to come. As Weezy said:  life is like a fuckin roller coaster then it drops!  Be ready for your next hill.     
         








  

Curren$y's More Saturday Night Car Tunes Mixtape Review

Admittedly, I've never truly gotten into Curren$y as heavily as I'd thought I might. Don't get me wrong he's always interested me, being a former huge Wiz fan obviously you couldn't NOT hear a track with the two every now and then, but I never looked into him as much as I thought I would. Well, until now that is. One thing I am aware of with Curren$y is how hard he works to constantly put out music, and that's a pretty good reason to be a fan. It seems you're always getting new material.  A 7 track mix tape seems the perfect introduction to someone fairly new to a rapper as I am to him, so what is there to lose?  Curren$y you sly dog you.

The intro on More Saturday Night Car Tunes is something I admit I haven't heard anything quite like before. Simply named "Intro", this song comes with almost a zapping form of production from constant hit maker Cardo. If you've heard of Cardo before it's probably because of his production on a good selection of Joe Budden and Slaughterhouse songs, I also happened to feature him in my "5 Producers You Should Know" article a while back. Anyways, back to Curren$y. The weirdest thing about this song is he doesn't rap over it at all, and you wish he would. He pretty much just talks over the beat, and even has a point where he says "I know a couple mother fuckers new to this shit, thought I was about to rap. A lot of us already know that I had, like, 5 more tracks to that." He goes on to mention tweeting the producer of the song, Cardo, and almost prepares the listeners for what they're about to experience it seems. The crazy part about it is when listening to just the music portion of the beat, this intro is actually good. I have to say I've never seen this done before, but it fits, knowing Curren$y and how "chill" of a vibe he wishes to create for the listeners.

"Champaign Reign" is built around a piano based beat (don't worry, he actually raps in this song) that surprised me because of what seems like at first a lack of drums.  Of course I figured out shortly after putting on headphones that this song doesn't contain real drums, but some wavy sounding 808s that add a nice vibe to the song. The next cut, "Countin Money" ft. Wiz Khalifa seems like the first real dose of music on the mix tape, and it doesn't disappoint. Wiz lays down a typical Wiz verse, flexing about his money and weed intake as usual, but what got me jigging a bit was the catchy hook Curren$y lays down.

"Money Shot" is the perfect mixture between Mac Miller and Curren$y's conflicting rap styles. Mac's verse contains the usual entertaining, keep you on your toes type of verse. It's decent, but definitely seems that he's holding back a bit considering the song and the style. Mac's usual raps are filled with a different lyrical style and picture painting capabilities, but he slows himself down, almost seemingly taking meds on this track, and part of the slow down seems to be the slow, somewhat jazzy instrumental holding Mac back. Curren$y sounds as good on this track as you'd like him to sound, to quote some lyrics in the song, he's almost "comfortably dressed" in the instrumental. My favorite part of the song is the last 10 seconds, where the beat slows down into this other worldly place with a really cool ending hook to finish.

If there's any song on this tape that actually surprised me a bit, it had to be "Drug Prescription". You expect a lot different from Curren$y, but this is a very cool change of pace. I've never heard of any sort of story telling ability from the New Orleans rapper, but this track proceeded to open my eyes a bit. He actually goes at other industry rappers a little, with lines like "these other rappers out ain't half as sick, all that half ass shit will get your whole ass whipped." This is certainly a surprise to me, a guy who got used to song types from Curren$y like "Rollin Up" with Wiz Khalifa, and their joint mix tape Live In Concert, all strictly weed mixes. It's always a great thing to see the competitive aspect of the game live in a rapper and show through his music, even if it's only every now and then.

So Curren$y is certainly a talented act to tune into, and More Saturday Night Car Tunes is just another example of why. What this tape opened me up to is Curren$y's great rapping ability mixed with a desire to make great music. It's hard to find rappers with the mix of both types of music, and while Curren$y prefers and certainly shines on calming, chill, bumping car tunes that he usually makes, you definitely better not mistake him for a rapper that has no lyrical content. For some reason I can't get past the "Saturday night cartoons" way of hearing the title of the tape (Wabbit season! Duck season! You know what, never mind.) But anyways, I personally would love to see a K.R.I.T and Curren$y collaboration, hopefully some time in the future. Yes ladies and gents, this is me giving the okay to put Curren$y's tape in the CD player, or tape deck if you're going old school, and just riiiiiide out.     

           



            

   

Rah Digga says Iggy Azalea Isn't Hip Hop: Is She Right?

Iggy Azalea has built a reputation as one of the biggest names in pop today (at this moment right now, actually). Her music is practically everywhere, you'll hear it on radios, in the club, the bar, wherever you go you're bound to hear Iggy. You're also bound to hear any and every bit of news that surrounds Iggy (is there really an Iggy sex tape somewhere?  Whoever has it, just do us all a favor and put it out, bless your heart). In this great thing we call hip hop, one thing that differentiates it from other musical genres is the freedom to express your opinion and have it seen not as hate, not as competition (sometimes), but as exactly that:  a mere opinion. Although when it comes to publicity, especially for someone whose opinion might matter, it may mean more than just a "mere opinion".

Rah Digga came out to an interview with This Is 50 radio to talk about Iggy and how she feels about her and her association with hip hop, and had this to say: "Iggy Azalea, I can't get into her, because it's just not real to me. There is a white girl from Australia that spits in an Australian accent, and her name is Chelsea Jane. That I can get into. Teach me Australian hip hop culture. Don't come to America and try to convince me that you're Gangsta Boo. Personally, I don't consider her hip hop. I listen to her album. Everything that I hear on there is everything but that. And I feel like hip hop is hip hop."

So is Rah Digga hating on Iggy?  At first glance you might say yes, but she does have a point. By definition (yeah, we're getting into the unwritten hip hop rule book on this one) Iggy isn't necessarily hip hop, but as far as new Iggy fans go (new meaning The New Classic Iggy fans, and not before that, although some "fans" probably didn't even buy the album) Iggy would probably be the closest thing to an influential woman figure in hip hop (unless you think Nicki Minaj is a real influence, but that's debatable).

Iggy isn't necessarily defined as inside-and-out hip hop. She has a history of being able to rap, and keeping up with the big boys even, but the deciding factor (to me, at least) is this The New Classic album. I didn't listen to the album so I can't say I gave Iggy an honest opinion on this post, but with singles like "Fancy" ft. Charli XCX, "Work", and "Change Your Life" ft. T.I., to some she could have a voice for rapping, but you really wouldn't know unless you heard her actually rap. Luckily, that's what I'm here for.

  
This would be considered my "counter point" to you Ms. Rah Digga (all respect due of course, I loved you on Talib Kweli's "Art Imitates Life" song)!  Saying Iggy isn't hip hop is a stretch to me, but defining hip hop as a whole is a completely different argument. In that case, Iggy isn't hip hop at all, but the girl can definitely rap given the chance. Rah Digga might not have heard the best of Iggy to give her an honest opinion, so you can't knock her for that. But I would like to hear what the people think!  Does Iggy have true rapping ability?  Let me know in the comment section, on twitter (@SuperNovaRover), or on my Google+ page!   


   

Royce Da 5'9 & DJ Premier's "PRhyme": Why You Should Be Excited

It seems Royce Da 5'9 is taking it to the next level with this one. Earlier this week a short video surfaced of DJ Premier joining alongside Royce rapping in a video over what you could only assume was some choice Premo production. People of the internet were rather excited about what this could possibly mean, but since then no further details were released...until now.

PRhyme is going to be a full length Royce Da 5'9 LP with DJ Premier taking the reigns handling production. It's hard to tell where Premo is going to take the production with on this one, whether or not he chooses to sample certain artists or keep the sampling to a minimum. He did have this to say about the album recently; "I've never sampled just one artist, I'm known for my reputation and my creativity. I wanted it to be my traditional thing where I sample everything I find, but I am really proud of how the project came out and Royce is one hell of a pusher."  From the sounds of this it seems there is a minimum of sampling from Premo, but time will tell what we see in terms of production on the album.

PRhyme will boast some MONSTER features, however. It is confirmed that the project will feature Dwele, Killer Mike, Common, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, Mac Miller, of course his fellow group mates Slaughterhouse, and Royce and Premo even managed to grab Jay Electronica for a feature. Are you excited yet?!  PRhyme has not been given a release date yet, but is rumored to be put out before the end of the year.

The route the Slaughterhouse members have been taking for their music releases has been an interesting one to say the least. Crooked I's last release Apex Predator was put out about halfway through last year, Joell Ortiz's House Slippers saw a release a bit more than a week ago, while Joe Budden has plans for his EP Some Love Lost in November and the release date for the album All Love Lost has yet to be determined.

Being that it is almost October already, so far it seems like these releases from Joe and Royce will spill into next year, while Slaughterhouse as a whole will supposedly be featured on the anniversary project Shady XV and also have their album Glass House coming (no release date given) as well. So far it seems next year will be a very exciting year for Slaughterhouse and Shady fans alike, but all you can do now is wait. Check out the teaser video for Royce and Premo's PRhyme below.

              (*I do not own this video, or the rights to it, Royce Da 5'9, DJ Premier, or PRhyme*)











                  

Flying Lotus & Kendrick Lamar Say You'll "Never Catch Me" And Its Hard To Argue

Well uhm... where to start with this one?  Normally when you stumble upon some new Kendrick it isn't just ANY other day, of course. It's one of those days that you can tell is going to be a good one. Maybe not like Ice Cube good, or maybe it could be that good, I don't know I'm not Ice Cube, but it's a pretty damn good day nonetheless. Now Kendrick has the power to draw attention to even a guest verse, which not many people can do nowadays (minus maybe Drake, but who draws more attention? I thought to myself and couldn't come up with an answer honestly), so obviously I was one of the many whose attention it grabbed immediately. Having never heard of this Flying Lotus before, however, curved my interest even more than normal.

Now we all know Kendrick (hopefully, if you don't I have nothing to say to you), but I wanted to know a little more about this Flying Lotus creature. The fact that he says he has more songs with Kendrick certainly is an interesting starting point. Flylo had this to say (cool nickname huh?): "We've been working on stuff together. I went on tour and he recorded to a bunch of my songs. I don't know if he's gonna use them or not, but he recorded a bunch of stuff, which is why there's no Captain Murphy album yet. He took all my beats!" Now I'm not entirely sure what Captain Murphy is or what it entails, but Mr. Lotus is planning for his album You're Dead to release on October 7th of this year.

But Flying Lotus has a pretty interesting story outside of just one Kendrick featured single. He has apparently also produced a lot of the bumper music for the Adult Swim commercials in between shows (in case you don't know what bumper means, basically it means commercials, if you watch Adult Swim it would be the black commercials with sayings and phrases across them). In 2012 Steven Ellison (his real name) began rapping under the moniker Captain Murphy, based on the Sealab 2021 character that uses the same name. He has produced for a few big names already, one of those being Mac Miller, and rumors surfaced of him collaborating with Erykah Badu for her next album.

So maybe not the most known path taken to musical success, but he's certainly already on the right path. His album You're Dead will carry features from Kendrick, Snoop Dogg, and Herbie Hancock, and will certainly be one to look out for. Just hearing this Kendrick song I can already tell it's going to be a more different vibe than we're used to hearing, hopefully refreshing. And obviously Kendrick isn't one to shy away from different, so I like this song already, not only because its great, but because this could possibly mean new solo Kendrick is DANGEROUSLY CLOSE. Stay glued to your PC's. The game could be blowing up shortly. Listen to the new collab between the two below.

                                      (*I do not own this song, video, or the rights to either*)   
   
                                          

    

Producing Greatness: Rappers Who Produce for Themselves & Others

Rappers over the years have been seen as ignorant, braggadocios, and even in some cases untalented. While some of these claims may be true, I disagree with untalented, at least for most rappers. Rap has changed since the days of long gold chains and wearing all ADIDAS brand clothes and shoes. Although style is not the point here, I'm talking about the transcending of talent with every rapper you hear today. Each of them is different from the next, some may have a born singing voice, some may be fantastic writers, and so on. But if a rapper needs one thing to rap, its beats. The talent in the producing pool of rappers these days is more phenomenal than its ever been. Shall we discuss? 

Now obviously the first rapper/producer that comes to mind is the one that started it all:  Dr. Dre. Since his start with World Class Wreckin Cru, Dre has only moved his way up the hip hop corporate ladder. Not only producing for himself and NWA back in the day, he's produced not only music for, but started the careers of hip hop legends like Tupac and Eminem, as well as other mega stars 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and too many more to name. Not only being a producer for some of hip hop's biggest hits of all time, Dre has recently become known for selling his famous Beats headphone line for over a billion dollars, historically becoming hip hop's first billionaire (the importance of this event is monumental, but that discussion shall be saved for another day, by the way Dre, can we get Detox now?).

Nowadays its not rare to find another rapper that produces for not only themselves, but other rappers as well. Huge names in hip hop today such as Eminem, Mac Miller, J. Cole, Kanye West, Big K.R.I.T, Kid Cudi, B.o.B, and many more have dabbled in producing beats. Clearly to me Eminem has been taking production tips from Dr. Dre over the years, producing select songs from the first Marshall Mathers LP all the way down to his latest release Marshall Mathers LP 2. Em has even gone on to produce for Slaughterhouse on their major label debut album "Welcome To: Our House."

Mac Miller to me has absolutely been one of the most hard working men in the music business to date, not only rapping but producing as well. If you keep up with Mac you know he's constantly in the studio, having a huge year in 2013 not only releasing a mix tape of all his very own self produced instrumentals titled Run On Sentences Vol. 1 under the moniker Larry Fisherman, another self produced mix tape titled Delusional Thomas, his first live album Live From Space in December of 2013, but also his second studio album Watching Movies With The Sound Off. If you don't consider Mac to be one of the most consistent in the game, you might want to re-evaluate your list, or maybe even your life.

When people talk about Big K.R.I.T, they usually talk very heavily on his southern brand of bumping music heavily considered to be influenced by the likes of Bun B, UGK and all types of slow Houston type hip hop. But if you know anything about K.R.I.T, you know that he produces all of his music too, and he is very, VERY good at what he does. Not only did he produce his entire debut album Live From The Underground, meaning EVERY single song off of it, but he also produced almost every song off of his very successful 2013 mix tape King Remembered In Time. If you haven't listened to K.R.I.T yet, you're truly missing out, and that's coming from a fan that has only listened to him since the beginning of 2013, and is incredibly eager to hear what he has in store with his upcoming sophomore album Cadillactica, supposed to be hitting store shelves before the end of 2014.

Now J. Cole is a lesser known producer and more known for his rap, though it is hard to overlook his fantastic lyrical miracle efforts along with his blend of real, emotional, venting type of music. But Cole is a fantastic producer who doesn't really get the credit you'd think he deserves on his production. Not only has he produced such great songs for Kendrick Lamar such as "HiiPoWeR" and "The Jig Is Up," but he's also produced his entire Born Sinner album minus a couple songs, along with songs off of his debut album like "Work Out", "Can't Get Enough", "Nobody's Perfect" and many more from other rappers as well.

So you get the point, or you should by now. Rappers are more talented than you think!  Producing is getting to be more and more of a hands on thing now for rappers, whether they be making their own beats or beats for other rappers. When you think about it, doesn't it make it much more simple to rap over a beat you know all the ins and outs to?  In this sense, these guys probably deserve a lot more credit than they're all getting. All that work is being done so us the fans can love and appreciate true rap greatness the right way!  Get back to me with your thoughts on Twitter (@SuperNovaRover) or Google+, y'all know the drill.