GONE TOO SOON: Mac Miller, remembering his struggles and legacy

Malcolm McCormick, known more commonly by his stage name Mac Miller, died Sept. 7 of an apparent drug overdose. Miller, who had been on the scene since 2010, was a beloved artist whose musical evolution has been praised by fans and critics alike. With beloved mixtapes and popular songs including “Nike’s on My Feet,” “Knock Knock” and “Donald Trump,” Miller’s early “frat-rap” sound developed into a jazz blend that will carry his legacy.

Miller went from a teenage star to a bona fide musician by the time his sophomore album, “Watching Movies With the Sound Off,” dropped. Following this album, Miller continued evolving, experimenting with jazzier sounds on the mixtape, “Faces.” His critically-acclaimed album, “The Divine Feminine” was a defining moment in music. A Pitchfork review called it “the most surprising, concise, and accomplished album of his career.”

With a solidified spot in the game, his most recent album “Swimming,” which was released on Aug. 3, further advanced his sound. To describe it in a word: conversational. Popular music critic Mitch Findlay went as far as to call it “the most personal project of his young career.”

Outside of music, Miller became a celebrity through his charming persona, public relationships and media appearances. His 2013 show, “Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family,” premiered on MTV2, becoming one of the first reality shows starring a contemporary rap artist.

Despite his success as an artist, he personally battled with addiction and depression throughout his life. Music and drug use have complemented each other for centuries, and Miller’s struggles were far from uncommon.

As with most reactions to such news, artists give out condolences, preach about making a change and hope to inspire fans to make a difference. Unfortunately, this repeated cycle seems redundant as Miller is one of several artists to overdose on a form of drugs within the last year. While his death comes as a shock to many, drug use, overdoses and arrests are at an all-time high.

Last year, a record-breaking 72,000 Americans passed away from drug overdoses, while an additional 1.5 million were arrested for drug law violations in 2016, according to drugabuse.gov. Drugs have a hollowing impact on individuals, families and communities. As a genre that speaks to the experiences of many people from incarcerated cultures, drug-selling cultures and drug-using cultures, rap music has a unique task of capturing authentic life experiences and emotions without glamorizing the toxic behaviors within them.

Many mainstream rappers fail to responsibly handle this balance. In August, Kanye West released a song called “XTCY,” in which he spoke candidly about his step sisters. He justifies these self-proclaimed “sick thoughts” by telling his audience he wrote the track while under the influence.

It’s estimated that more than one-third of songs that reached the top 10 of Billboard’s “Hot 100” included some mention of the popular drink, lean. Many artists openly share their addictions, but most fans fail to separate the lyrics from the beat. Instead of seeing these lyrics as pleas for help, they describe them as “fire” or “catchy.”

Rising artists such as Lil Xan and Smokepurpp, along with veterans including Future and Lil Wayne, have incorporated drug use and addiction into their rapper persona. With popular songs like “Vicodin,” “Geek A Lot,” “Codeine Crazy” and “I Feel like Dying,” they have influenced millions of fans to enthusiastically endorse, normalize and then overlook messages about use and addiction.

Miller’s 2013 album, “Watching Movies With the Sound Off,” immediately begins with him praying not to waste his future by getting caught up with drugs. The lyric itself, paired with the decision to make it the first line of his album, gave some insight into how Miller felt about his addiction.

As a genre, hip-hop is in a unique position. Centered around authentic reflection, the music must balance painting an accurate picture of a young, hyper-diverse and constantly evolving culture, while being careful not to glamorize its negative aspects.

Despite his personal struggles, Miller was able to distinguish the line in his music. While he openly acknowledged his personal struggles with addiction, he tried to do so responsibly. On an interview with the radio show, “The Breakfast Club,” he talked about his approach to music, saying, “I want to make sure I cover all the different identities that come with being a human. That’s my main focus, just keeping it real with myself and talking about what I feel.”

Music has lost another great talent to addiction. As our industry, and our country continue to suffer the consequences of this drug epidemic, Miller should be remembered as a catalyst to create change. Addiction is hard — for many, it’s the hardest obstacle to overcome. But overcoming is achievable and necessary. Life is short and we cannot take one breath for granted.

Rest in peace, Malcolm McCormick. You and your music will be remembered.

Jalen Nash is a junior political science major. His music column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email him at janash@syr.edu or follow him on Twitter @ja_nash3.

Cover illustration by Sarah Allam | Head Illustrator