Mac Miller died more than a year ago, but his death still stings for music fans, friends and family. He died September 7, 2018 of a drug overdose. Like so many musicians before him, he left a legacy of music and a life cut way too short. Some might wonder why we are choosing to discuss Mac Miller now, more than a year after his death. There have been some developments recently that leave us with a death that even after time is still tragic.
With any sudden death like Mac Miller’s, most are left wondering what could have been done to keep it from happening. Well, there may have been signs and opportunities to make a difference, but those are the things that add to the tragic nature of the death. As always, it would be good to look back at the early life and career start for the late recording artist.
Malcolm James McCormick was born on January 19, 1992, in Point Breeze, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Karen Meyers, a photographer, and Mark McCormick, an architect, and had an older brother, Miller. While he and his brother were raised Jewish, he attended a Catholic grade school to “ensure a good education and a chance to play football and lacrosse.” He later went to Winchester Thurston School and graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School, also the alma mater of labelmate Wiz Khalifa.
“I was never really a school-oriented person,” says Miller. Instead, he and his friends, many of whom were older and attended different high schools, listened to a lot of old-school hip-hop. Acts like the Sugar Hill Gang, A Tribe Called Quest and the Beastie Boys all inspired the model for much of Miller’s material today. He pays homage with songs like Blue Slide Park single “Party on 5th Ave,” which samples DJ Kool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat.”
A self-taught musician, Miller played piano, guitar, drums, and bass by the age of six. He first started rapping at the age of fourteen. Before that, he wanted to be a singer. In high school, he decided to focus on his hip hop career, later noting, “Once I hit 15, I got real serious about it and it changed my life completely … I used to be into sports, play all the sports, go to all the high school parties. But once I found out hip-hop is almost like a job, that’s all I did.”
As I learned about Mac Miller’s early life, I saw what appeared to be a well-balanced, good childhood. There were times of sports and fun in grade and high school, with music being introduced to him and he enjoyed that as well. That’s the interesting thing about drugs and tragic death, it always seems to follow a really happy existence.
He originally went by the name Easy Mac and released the mixtape But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy in 2007 at the age of fifteen. By 2009, he established himself as Mac Miller, and released two mixtapes: The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown and The High Life. At the 2010 Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards, Miller won 21 & Under of the Year, and Best Hip Hop Video for “Live Free”.
Miller signed with the independent label Rostrum Records in July 2010, in the lead-up to his mixtape K.I.D.S. He chose Rostrum due to its location in his hometown and association with Wiz Khalifa. K.I.D.S. was released by Rostrum in August 2010. During this time, Miller broke through with a focus on social media engagement, digital sales, and persistent touring, due to a lack of radio airplay or mainstream features.
Miller’s debut studio album, Blue Slide Park, released on November 8, 2011. With 144,000 first week sales, it debuted atop the Billboard 200, the first independently distributed album to do so since Tha Dogg Pound’s Dogg Food in 1995. Three songs from the album, “Smile Back”, “Frick Park Market”, and “Party on Fifth Ave.” charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 55, 60, and 64, respectively Blue Slide Park was certified gold in the United States and Canada.
Just as Miller started to make inroads into the music industry, his troubles began too. In February 2011, while on tour in upstate New York, Miller and his friends were arrested for possession of marijuana for which they spent the night in jail. Miller spoke openly about his struggle with substance abuse and depression. To manage stress during his Macadelic Tour in 2012, Miller began taking promethazine, and later became addicted to lean. Miller told Complex in January 2013: “I love lean; it’s great. I was not happy and I was on lean very heavy. I was so f***ed up all the time it was bad. My friends couldn’t even look at me the same. I was lost.”
As with hundreds of entertainers before Miller, the drug use continued and grew in frequency. In years past artists and drug use were constant companions. My father told me many stories of fellow musicians who used drugs until their eventual detriment. After long periods of abuse, they found it very hard to stop even if they wanted to. Interestingly, the drug habits of musicians were never hidden, especially among the circle of friends and surrounding entertainers. Nevertheless, many never found the assistance so much needed in the moments of crisis.
A major problem with addiction and.or abuse of drugs is that it becomes part of the art. A good friend explained to me that he got to the point of not being able to perform, unless he was high. He went on to tell me about some musicians we both knew, who were in the same predicament. That’s a terrible place for anyone. Imagine not being able to do your job without being high on drugs! It’s tough.
Also, there are those who write and sing about their addictions. This might be somewhat cathartic, but only if the artist is fighting the habit. If not, then it provides another revenue stream. The artist then can believe the drug use is okay. Think about Amy Winehouse. There are many others, but she makes my point best.
Miller parted ways with Rostrum Records when his contract expired in January 2014. On May 11, 2014, Miller independently released his tenth solo mixtape, Faces. Colin Stutz of Billboard wrote that the 24-track mixtape “shows [Miller] introspective, ruminating over his drug use, fame and past.” Pitchfork‘s Craig Jenkins called Faces his “most consistently honest and personal work to date”. Miller later reflected on Faces, noting his drug-addled lifestyle while recording it.
Miller’s career was quite stellar, recording five studio albums including some high-profile features. For the album Swimming, he was posthumously nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. He also served as a record producer for various artists, including himself, under the pseudonym Larry Fisherman.
Tragically, on September 7, 2018, Miller was found unresponsive in his Studio City home by his personal assistant, who called 911 and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Miller was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:51 a.m. (PDT). On November 5, 2018, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office determined that Miller died from an accidental drug overdose due to a “mixed drug toxicity” of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol.
Last week, prosecutors for the Central District of California charged three men — Stephen Walter, Ryan Reavis and Cameron James Pettit — with the distribution of drugs that they allege resulted in the death of Mac Miller.
While the three men were previously hit with various charges upon their arrests, a rep from the United States Attorney’s Office clarifies to Rolling Stone how the indictment differs: “The indictment contains two counts that accuse the men of being responsible for Mac Miller’s death — a conspiracy count and the narcotics distribution charge. Previously, Pettit and Miller were charged with distributing narcotics, and now the indictment alleges that their conduct resulted in a death.” Walter will also face a third charge of possession of a firearm as a felon.
With the arrest, it does not change the tragic elements of the untimely death of another twenty-six year old artist. I hope it will act as a lesson for other young, aspiring artists about drug abuse. Sadly and tragically, I’m sure there will be more.
There will not be another Mac Miller. He was an original of course. Maybe his music (and not his drug addiction) will be an influence on other young artists on the rise.