Remembering the life and legacy of Mac Miller
“Rest In Peace, Mac Miller.” It still feels strange seeing that phrase, but it’s real. It’s heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, or however you want to put it. The music industry lost an incredibly talented man on Friday, one that many of us have grown with over the years. Mac Miller was only 26 years old when he passed away. His life was cut way too short, but in those 26 years he blessed us with his genius, his kind heart and his incredible presence.
Mac Miller burst onto the music scene in 2010, dropping a handful of mixtapes that blew up across the United States. The High Life, K.I.D.S and Best Day Ever blared from the speakers of teenagers and young adults from all over. His rise was meteoric, most likely because he was just a 17-year old kid that smoked weed, lived life to the fullest and made music that everyone felt like they could relate to.

I was 14 when I first heard Mac Miller’s music. I was only 4 years younger than him and his music resonated with my friends and I. You and your friends. Everyone. It was that style of rap where it gave you this overwhelming sense of joy and well-being, because he was just so care-free and energetic in his music.
As each day passes, we get older and we mature. We grow up alongside our friends and our outlook on life is constantly being altered. As we watched Mac Miller grow from a teenager to a young adult, we saw his music mature into something beautiful. He began experimenting more with his music, wearing his heart on his sleeve and not being afraid to be vulnerable. We were all growing up alongside Mac Miller and he provided so many of us with the perfect soundtrack to that journey. He wasn’t afraid to step outside his comfort zone and he sure as hell wasn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. His friendships with the likes of Earl Sweatshirt, Schoolboy Q, Vince Staples & so many more not only propelled them into stardom but gave us so many warm memories to cherish. Despite being just 26, his musical career was something to marvel, not just because of his growth, but because of how many fellow artists and fans he had an impact on.

The beautiful thing about Mac Miller’s legacy is the connection he made with his fans. Growing up alongside a musician, whose music is not only creative and unique but also relatable to so many, is like having a friend by your side. From teenagers to young adults, everyone could connect with Mac Miller in some way. His music over the years, especially his final album Swimming, dealt with such real issues that we suffer from everyday and it helped so many people.
Mac Miller’s music helped me through the one of the toughest periods of my life. The song Poppy, off the mixtape K.I.D.S, helped me deal with the passing of both my great grandmother and my grandad. That song alone did more for me in that time period than anything else, because it was reassuring, relatable and comforting. In a period where I felt empty & lost, music helped me considerably & Poppy was so crucial for my healing. I know millions of others around the world felt the same about so many of his tracks, because his impact touched the entire world. On his final album, Swimming, he opened his heart to the world and didn’t hold back, making it a true piece of art. It’s a beautiful album that showed us a side of an artist that is so rare.
His death is one of the first true musical tragedies for the younger generations, as we’ve lost an icon. It’s like we all lost a friend that was with us throughout our high school and college years, but we have so many great memories to look back on.
It’s heartbreaking that as we grow older, we won’t have Mac’s music to grow alongside us anymore. We have his legacy to remember and his impact will be felt by millions for the rest of our lives. Mac Miller was a genius, a superstar and made sure that through his music, no one was ever truly alone.
To those that need help, don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask for it. We must strive to be there for one another more often, because it does get better for us in the end.
Malcolm James McCormick. Forever “Most Dope.”
