Mac Miller was a rapper's rapper, with voices around the industry emerging to remember his kind demeanor and his prodigious talents over the past few days. Still, he doesn’t sound consumed by his demons, his gaze still fixed on happier nights ahead. “Weekend” shows Miller still rapping about weekends spent partying, but unlike his more carefree tracks of his earlier years, he spent his weeknights fretting over his increased fame, and with it, his growing anxiety. More: Ariana Grande remembers Mac Miller with touching Instagram photo “Weekend” feat. And yet, way back in 2013, Miller and Grande were just collaborators, brought together to make a single that ranks among both their best. Of all Miller’s hits that make for painful listening today, “The Way” is uniquely tough, considering the messiness that was his and Ariana Grande’s story in the months before his death their breakup, her quick engagement, a public statement alluding to their “toxic” relationship and his reserved acceptance of their situation in interviews after their split. Related: Mac Miller's family, celebrity friends mourn his 'heartbreaking' death “The Way,” Ariana Grande feat. More: Childish Gambino, Elton John, G-Eazy pay tribute to Mac Miller onstage In a sad twist of fate, Miller is now a figure who will be mourned in the lyrics of his peers.
“REMember” (2013)īy the time his 2013 album “Watching Movies with the Sound Off” was released, Miller had experienced enough pain to give his release a newfound depth, dedicating “REMember” to a friend who had died and rapping with the full weight of the world on his shoulders. Miller chose a prescient inspiration for his started-from-the-bottom anthem with the chorus “Take over the world when I'm on my Donald Trump (expletive).” Bonus points go to Miller’s interpolation of Sufjan Stevens’ song “Vesuvius” for the track’s sample, proof of the rapper’s boundless musical curiosity that many admirers have spoken about in the days after his death. Like Kid Cudi – another rapper whose career was shaped by his personal struggles – Miller's music eventually would shake off the sneering term, and he would earn most, but perhaps not all, of the critical respect he deserved. The standout track from his 2010 mixtape “K.I.D.S.” introduced Miller to his young fans as their peer, enjoying a simple teenaged existence while working toward something more meaningful: “Yeah, I live a life pretty similar to yours / Used to go to school, hang with friends and play sports / Every single summer taking trips to the shore / And that was all gravy, but I knew I wanted more.” “Nikes on my Feet” (2010)īuilt around a brilliant sample from Nas’ “The World Is Yours,” “Nikes On My Feet” was one of the examples from “K.I.D.S” that proved something that longtime Miller fans always knew to be true – that his work was more sophisticated than the other “frat rappers” with whom he was often grouped. It’s hard to listen to an 18-year-old Miller rap “I got a hundred billion flows to come” on “Kool Aid and Frozen Pizza” and not feel sad. If there's one thing that has emerged in the days since Mac Miller's tragically untimely death at 26, it's the glowing reputation he had among his peers, who described the rapper as one of the gentlest, most talented figures in hip-hop.Ī playlist of Miller's essential tracks could encompass hours of music, but for an introduction to his best works and a look at his career trajectory, start with these eight songs. Shortly thereafter, his career began to skyrocket with songs, Earned It, Can't Feel My Face, and The Hills, massively contributing to the star's success.Watch Video: Reports: Mac Miller dead from suspected overdose at 26 Tesfaye then proceeded to put out his debut album, Kiss Land, which debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200. In 2012, he signed to Republic and re-released his mixtapes in his compilation album, Trilogy. Two years later, he co-founded his own label, XO, and began simultaneously releasing 3 mixtapes back to back, House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echos of Silence. In 2021, Grande was featured on the remix of Save Your Tears, a song from The Weeknd's 2020 album, After Hours.īorn and raised in Toronto, Tesfaye began anonymously releasing music in 2009 which would serve as the beginning of his career. He is featured on both " Love Me Harder" from Ariana Grande's sophomore album, My Everything as well as " Off The Table" from Ariana Grande's sixth studio album Positions. Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born Februin Toronto, Canada), better known by his stage name The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer.