Mac Miller

For a tragically brief time, Pittsburgh-based rapper and producer Mac Miller connected with legions of listeners through the appeal of both his curious, jazz-flecked instrumental style and heartfelt lyrics that laid bare his struggles with depression and addiction. Though his 2011 studio album debut Blue Slide Park topped the charts, his style and lyrical focus changed on subsequent, more personal releases like 2016's The Divine Feminine, which dominated the R&B and rap charts. Miller followed up with Swimming in 2018, but he died from an overdose one month after the album's release. His early output had an immediate resurgence as longtime fans mourned and those who just learned about the rapper explored his work for the first time. Posthumous releases followed Miller's death, such as 2020's Circles, and the 2025 release of "lost album" Balloonerism. Born Malcolm McCormick, Miller first used the alias Easy Mac, a name referenced on his debut mixtape, 2007's But My Mackin' Ain't Easy. His KIDS mixtape became his breakthrough when it was released in August of 2010, earning plenty of attention from hip-hop blogs and landing Miller a recording contract with Rostrum Records. Rostrum released his debut EP, On and on and Beyond, and his debut album, Blue Slide Park, in 2011. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. His seventh mixtape, Macadelic, arrived the next year, featuring appearances by Kendrick Lamar, Juicy J, Cam'ron, Lil Wayne, and more (the set was later remastered for a spring 2018 release). The more experimental effort, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, followed in 2013, with left-field hip-hop names like Action Bronson, Earl Sweatshirt, and Flying Lotus lending a hand. A year later, Miller issued the mixtape Faces, signed with Warner Bros., and launched his own imprint, REMember Music, under the major label. GO:OD AM followed in 2015 with Lil B, Chief Keef, and Miguel on the album's guest list. The single "100 Grandkids" peaked appropriately at number 100, while "Weekend" was certified