(As Hip-Hop mourns the passing of Mac Miller his tragic death underscores the urgent need to address a variety of health issues unique to American society; the plague of overdose related death has once again claimed the life of another major rap icon.)
Malcolm James McCormick, also known as Mac Miller, the 26 year old Rapper/Producer/ Multi-Instrumentalist, the "Kicker of Incredibly Dope Shit", passed away in his home friday September 7th due to a fatal overdose. Immortalized forever in the hearts of his listeners, Mac leaves behind a notable musical legacy. Its hard to believe that at 26 years old he had already leveraged several successful solo projects, produced a significant volume of work under the name "Larry Fisherman", and had managed to navigate the in's & out's of the music industry for the better part of 10 years. What isn't hard to believe is that such a young man commanded a great deal of respect from the hip-hop community, a culture that celebrates and cherishes the voice of the youth, and elevates young people to a position of influence, notoriety that many misappropriate in those same shoes. But not Mac Miller, he was a true studio rat, keen to stay out of the public eye, known to provide spectacular performances when he emerged on tour, and always kind enough to provide a smile, laughing and joking during his interviews, he was a gentle soul with a passion for making fun loving music, he was a cultural contributor!
But Mac had been struggling with his substance abuse, almost totally inconspicuously aside from his DUI/Hit & Run arrest, and irregardless of what may have been the catalyst for his death he had always openly discussed his excessive usage of drugs in his music. It was just a part of being "Macadelic". So why were we so heart broken and surprised to hear that it had all finally caught up to him? The truth is because we have become blissfully ignorant to the reality of our beloved artists painfully self-medicating themselves, with whatever it maybe, and we encourage all these self-destructive behaviors as "part of the rockstar lifestyle". Its becoming more and more apparent that we have to change our views on more that just "how much is too much", but on how we got here, to the point of excessive drug use becoming normalized in our daily lives.
"Smoke weed eat yogurt," it seemed like something almost everyone could relate to, skipping school, cyphing all day, munching out while listening to his mixtapes, but truth is what we related to most was his unspoken carefree nature, his laid back flow, and the "I don't give a fuck what you think" spirit that Mac projected through the speakers. This is what he will be remembered for, not the news of his tragic death.
So to everyone reading this lets all take this moment to express our gratitude for his presence, and reflect on the essence of what his music was really about, coming together and trail blazing the world with song and dance. Lets push ourselves and our culture to phase out the obsession we have with getting high, it's not fun anymore, and lets reject the notion that the party temporarily nullifies our pain, it doesn't, instead lets restore our spirit with the stories and messages of hustle, unity, and wealth of mind & body, lets flood the streets with music that will inspire young artists to succeed, rather than teaching them to languish in their pain.
Thanks again & Rest in Paradise Malcolm.
- MTHW / MVRSHKRS