He then released his career-changing mixtape K.I.D.S (Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Shit). In 2010, Mac signed with Rostrum Records – the independent Pittsburgh label of Wiz Khalifa and a handful of other local artists. He later reestablished himself as “Mac Miller” in 2009 with the release of mixtapes The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown and The High Life. He originally released music under the moniker “Easy Mac”, releasing his debut mixtape But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy in 2007. He went to a couple of high schools, but graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School – the alma mater of fellow Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa (an early collaborator/mentor to Mac).Īround the age of fifteen, Mac began to take music seriously. Growing up, Mac was an avid athlete and played football and lacrosse in school. Mac had early aspirations of singing, as well. Mac was a self-taught musician, learning piano, guitar, drums, and bass by six years old.

He and his older brother, Miller, were raised Jewish but attended Catholic school growing up (his mom is Jewish and his dad is Christian). His mother was a photographer and his father was an architect. Malcolm McCormick was born on Januin Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We will dissect his life and evolution, trying our best to articulate what made Malcolm McCormick such a unique and beloved artist.

One year after Mac’s untimely passing, fellow writer Ralph Compiano and I have decided to honor Mac as the September Genius of the Month. Luckily for humanity, his art will live on forever.

It seems as if Mac Miller blessed the lives of everyone who had the pleasure of meeting or working with him, and he especially blessed the lives of everyone who listened to him. Mac Miller left us entirely too soon, but he is kept very much alive through his timeless discography and his adoring fans, friends, and family. He provided a soundtrack to fit any emotion or occasion a soundtrack to bolster any high or any low. With his five studio albums and thirteen mixtapes, he provided the soundtrack for a generation. He came into the game with fun and cheesy “frat rap” and left it with some of the most beautiful, poetic, and honest music of our time. For anyone who went through adolescence in the 2010s, Malcolm McCormick was right there with them.įirst making a splash in 2011 with anthems such as “Donald Trump” and “Senior Skip Day,” Mac Miller would go on to become one of the most impactful artists of the decade.

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