Remembering Mac Miller On What Would Have Been His 30th Birthday

Rolling Stone - In an interview published a month before he passed away, Mac Miller told Rolling Stone that he’d been working out, living authentically, and letting go of things he could not control. At age 26, Mac was approaching a matured and self-assured phase of his life — something often associated with entering your thirties. He was set to go on tour with his good friend and fellow artist Thundercat and was making some of the most ambitious music of his career. Above all else, he seemed happy. 

“Nobody that I know can say anything bad about him,” Ty Dolla $ign told Rolling Stone after Mac’s death in September of 2018. Indeed, the internet is ripe with tales about and tributes to Miller’s kindness, light, and generosity, from putting emerging acts on his major tours to making memorable birthday celebrations for himself and others. Here, his friends and colleagues sign this digital birthday card with their wishes for and memories of Mac on what would have been the start of his 30th year.

Dear Mac,

I hope that on your birthday, the clarity, and places and spaces that you’ve always wanted to go to, see and feel — I hope that you feel that infinitely. I hope that you can see further than you’ve ever seen before. I hope that wherever you are, it’s funny. Gotta be funny. If it isn’t funny, it sucks.

I’ve been taking your advice — sitting down and letting it happen, extremely sitting down and letting it happen. And goodness, I’m happy that I’ve gotten to know you and spend this time with you because your life changed my life. I hope that wherever you are, you’re still changing people’s lives. 

I really wish I could hear the soundtrack to where you’re at that you would create because I’m pretty sure that’s intense, extreme. On this birthday, I hope that you get everything that you want, everything that you think you want, everything you didn’t want or didn’t ask for…I hope you get all of that. I hope it’s as extreme as it was here. Because it was fun.

Love,

Thundercat

It's almost become too normal to watch young musicians, rappers especially, pass away at young ages.  XXXTentacion (dead at 20), Nipsey Hussle (33), Juice Wrld (21), Pop Smoke (20).

Many, before they'd even found their true sound, themselves, whatever you want to call it, but Mac Miller was different. 

Mac was just hitting his stride and seemed to be in such a groove that it made dealing with his death that much harder.

He'd somehow released 6 full albums worth of music in an incredibly short amount of time. With Swimming being his latest (and in my opinion best). He was 26 when he died of an overdose (fentanyl) and in his short life he'd managed to found his own record label, start a reality series, and seduce an army of fans so dedicated they still are just as die-hard today.

Mac, (actual name Malcolm McCormick), resonated with so many fans not just because of his music, but also, maybe more so, because of his personality, his demeanor, sense of humor, and look. He was extremely relatable. 

And he was a very, very good dude.

(I posted this blog last year)  

The fact that Mac died a month and day after releasing this album is still so fuckin sad. Even two years later. 

It feels like he was just catching his stride. Not that he wasn't dope as hell before "Swimming", (Best Day Ever is one of the best mixtapes of all time) but you could tell he had found his groove and was comfortable staying in his own lane. Which is why his death sucked all the more- I don't think anybody saw it coming. Or could point back and say, "yah we're not really surprised." The kid had the whole world in front of him, and MILLIONS of people who adored him. At least he got to feel the love for this record which he poured his heart into before he passed.

p.s. - Not to make this about me whatsoever but something super cool that I think old school stoolies will appreciate because I know how much I do. Back in 2009-2010 when we were doing Back To Stool and Stoolapalooza tours Dave, Gaz, Jenna Marbles, and I somehow lined up Mac Miller to open up. The first year was for Sammy Adams. The second was for Mike Posner, Wale, and T̶h̶e̶ ̶B̶e̶a̶t̶l̶e̶s̶ Chiddy Bang. This is early early early Mac Miller days. We're talking The Highlife, and K.I.D.S. Mac. So early in his career in fact that he didn't even have his own DJ. 

Leading up to the shows we were all on a bunch of group emails together messaging back and forth coordinating this shitshow. His crew and he could not have been any nicer, down-to-earth dudes. Super grateful to be working with us. Keep in mind this was stone ages Barstool. There wasn't even a Milton office yet. We held meetings in Dave's conference room at his condo building in Dorchester. So the fact he was grateful as fuck to be opening up a Mike Posner concert (think about that) at UMass, and Lupos Providence, gives you an idea of the kind of character he had. 

So long story short, they asked me to DJ for him, I couldn't say yes fast enough, and I got to spin for him. Super fuckin awesome memories that wouldn't have been possible without Portnoy. #teamportnoy

p.p.s. - That UMass show was the one we got banned at because Dave got on the mic at the end of the show and told the entire Mullins Center that the school didn't want us to party "but we were fuckin partying." A riot ensued a few hours later, cops came in on horseback, we took a bus back to Boston that broke down on a pitch-black highway (s/o Bustonian) great story for another time. But Dave had a warrant issued and pretty sure the dean said if he ever stepped foot in Amherst again he'd be locked up no questions asked. Wild times back then.

R.I.P. Mac