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| Another product of the XXL Freshmen classes. |
The first time I heard Mac Miller was on MuchMusic's RapCity
during the summer time (Yes, they were playing music videos). At first, I
didn't catch the title of the song or even who the artist was during the intro
credits. I allowed bias to get the best of me and assumed it was a Canadian
artist. This is thanks in part to the lack of use of props and other flash that
is often noted in hip-hop videos. Alright and the fact he is white. Though with
clever visuals and even more clever rhymes I was won over by the man they call
Mac Miller (born Malcolm McCormick). I was quick to grab his mixtapes which are
numerous considering his age (He's only 19). I was astounded by his delivery
and energy put into his rhymes. There isn't much fluff to be had before Blue Slide
Park came out this year and solidified XXL's choice to put him up with the rest
of the freshmen class of 2011.
The album's title Blue Slide Park is a
reference to Mac's childhood and a popular hangout for him well into his teens.
Throughout the album there are other references to his childhood and his
hometown of Pittsburgh. The same town that has produced another young rapper by
the name of Wiz Khalifa and both of them have publicly sung the other's praises
as of late. The same Wiz who had been criticized for promoting an image of
being too pop oriented. This type of criticism hasn't been dedicated solely to
Wiz as the only rapper for looking too pop (See: my
Drake review). Mac's appearance and penchant for wearing snap backs has been
the main horn for the critics to stress upon; only, because this rapper
definitely doesn't have many faults in his lyrical game otherwise. It would
appear that the only rappers with mainstream success who don't tend to have any
criticism for their appearances are those who feature themselves in an
antiquated "gangster" appearance. And while I'm not here to say
Gangster rap is dead or anything I'd like to stress the fact that it can't be
a pigeonholed focus of what can be considered a good rap act to
succeed in the mainstream market. The idea that rap can deviate from outside of
its original source material is a very foreign idea to most. Mostly take an
issue with the idea that it doesn't give any proper due to the originators of
the genre thus can't be considered true hip-hop/rap. If one is to take the
whole narrative of both the "Hip-Hop is dead" and just in general of
how the music industry has run itself into the ground the essence of true
hip-hop is something that requires much more insight than just one rapper's
work. That ranting being said, the focus of the album blends the innocence of
his childhood with his new found fame in touring across the world to being
an established artist in the music industry with all the perks that
come with it. It goes along with his ability to have tracks that have a party
vibe feel to him but still can be appreciated for his lyrical skills. It's
possibly because he doesn't strive to stick to any particular style in his
songs. As a debut effort, we are given a sampling of what Mac Miller has
to offer. Focusing on the whole party/childhood theme is a good look from
business point of view, but it lets the listener drop in with few
prerequisites. If you’re a listener looking for the new underground artist, I
think you’re better served looking elsewhere. The flow is on point though that
should have any hip-hop head at least nodding there head a little bit I would
hope.
You can't isolate
any particular "Pennsylvania" sound even with a majority of the
production featuring Pittsburgh - based I.D Labs. Rap's new, hot and upcoming
producer, Clams Casino is also featured on this album with credits on 2 songs.
In all the different combination of beats on the record combined with Mac
Miller's lyrics hit the target and it's hard to rank any songs better than the
other. It would be important to note the ending of the album does have a more
emotional tone of Mac Miller as the person instead of the other "teen not
ready to grow up" persona that one encounters during the majority of the
album.
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| Blue Slide Park in art form |
Even with the
accolades and co-signs from other prominent artists, it's hard not to stray
away from the music itself and make comments about hip-hop in general. Maybe it
is because of the material found within that makes it seem justifiable to go
off about the direction of hip-hop and try to discern whether Mac Miller is on
that path. Being the first rap album to debut #1 on Billboards through an
independent label since the mid-90s. I'd say he's doing something right.
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