Mac Miller

For a tragically brief time, Pittsburgh-based rapper and producer Mac Miller reached legions of listeners through his inquisitive, jazz-inflected production and candid lyrics that exposed his battles with depression and addiction. Blue Slide Park, his first studio album from 2011, reached the top of the Billboard 200, yet his approach grew more introspective on later projects such as 2016’s The Divine Feminine, which topped both the R&B and rap charts. He issued Swimming in 2018 only to die from an overdose a month later. Interest in his earlier catalog surged as devoted listeners grieved and new audiences discovered his music. After his passing came additional releases, notably 2020’s Circles and the 2025 appearance of the long-unreleased album Balloonerism.

Born Malcolm McCormick, he initially recorded under the name Easy Mac, a moniker referenced on his first mixtape, 2007’s But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy. The 2010 mixtape KIDS, released in August, marked his breakthrough, drawing widespread attention from hip-hop blogs and securing a deal with Rostrum Records. That label put out both his 2011 debut EP, On and on and Beyond, and the album Blue Slide Park, which entered the Billboard 200 at number one. Macadelic, his seventh mixtape, arrived the following year and included contributions from Kendrick Lamar, Juicy J, Cam’ron, Lil Wayne, and others; the project received a remastered reissue in spring 2018. The more exploratory Watching Movies with the Sound Off appeared in 2013, featuring left-field collaborators such as Action Bronson, Earl Sweatshirt, and Flying Lotus. In 2014 Miller released the mixtape Faces, signed with Warner Bros., and established his own imprint, REMember Music, beneath the major label.

GO:OD AM followed in 2015 with guest appearances from Lil B, Chief Keef, and Miguel. The single “100 Grandkids” reached number 100 on the charts, while “Weekend” earned gold certification. Just a year after GO:OD AM climbed into the Top Five of both the Billboard 200 and rap charts, Miller returned with his fourth LP, The Divine Feminine. Guests on the album included Kendrick Lamar, Cee Lo Green, Ariana Grande, Robert Glasper, and Anderson .Paak, whose soulful delivery graced the lead single “Dang!” Non-album tracks “Buttons” and “Programs” occupied him through early 2018, when he unveiled his fifth album, Swimming. The project debuted at number three on both the Billboard 200 and R&B/hip-hop charts and contained the tracks “Small Worlds,” “Self-Care,” and “What’s the Use?” One month after its release, Miller died at age 26 from a suspected drug overdose at his San Fernando Valley residence.

In the wake of his death, seven of his full-length projects reentered the Billboard 200, with the mixtapes Best Day Ever and Macadelic making their first appearances on the tally; Swimming also received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. His initial posthumous album, Circles, arrived in early 2020. Conceived as a companion to Swimming, it incorporated vocals he had recorded for the project and was finished by producer Jon Brion; the set became Miller’s fifth Top Three entry on the U.S. charts. Later that year KIDS was made available on streaming platforms for the first time, prompting a return to the Billboard 200. A commercially issued version of Faces followed in 2021. The next year his 2011 mixtape I Love Life, Thank You reached streaming services, sending the collection to number 22 on the Billboard 200 and into the Top Five on the U.S. indie album chart. In 2025 the long-shelved album Balloonerism finally received an official release. Recorded between 2013 and 2014 during the same period Miller worked on Faces, the project adopted a darker, more psychedelic character than much of his catalog. Balloonerism appeared alongside a short film of the same name in January 2025.