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Home , Blue Slide Park, Faces (mixtape), Mac Miller, Not on Drugs, The Divine Feminine, Watching Movies

Robakiewicz 1

Tyler Robakiewicz

Professor Emily Darnell

English 202

15 November 2018

Mac Miller’s Impact on the Music Industry and Addiction’s Impact on

The infamous Blue Slide located in buried within , was not echoing the typical laughs and screams of children during the first week of September.

Instead, fans and locals spent that weekend remembering Mac Miller, who sadly passed away on

September 7, 2018, due to a that resulted from a long fight with addiction

(McDermott).

Mac Miller was a highly awarded rapper and hip-hop artist as well as a producer who rose from the streets of Pittsburgh into instant fame. Unfortunately, he was just as instantly plagued by drug and addiction, which were topics he regularly referenced in his music. A unique benefit of today’s music industry, and arguably of today’s society, is the accessibility and prevalence of the media, particularly in the realm of visuals. In specific regards to Mac Miller, a

2016 documentary by Fader entitled “Stopped Making Excuses,” gives an up-close and insider visual of Mac’s life; while this documentary was popularly viewed during Miller’s life, it was especially favored after he passed.

“Stopped Making Excuses,” highlights Mac Miller as he moved to . This approach also allows Miller to describe his previous six years where the documentary describes that “L.A. soon turned toxic, as he spiraled into increasing drug use and trouble” (Cooper). The struggle with drug abuse was not an unfamiliar fight for Miller; the artist carried this struggle all the way through his fame and eventually through his final days, admitting that the fame only Robakiewicz 2 made his addiction more accessible. With that said, the fresh start in New York was a time of hope for the young rapper. This documentary also represents the shift in Miller’s career from being a fraternity-styled rapper to a vocalist and intellectual writer and composer. He had successfully made a name for himself within the hip-hop industry but had further ambitions to create the best of the best within that industry. Miller was on route to achieving this goal, as evident by the gold record he earned on his debut (Peters). The film successfully illustrates Miller’s knowledge of the negative influence that the music industry can have on its members and his desire to leave that influence in the past. The quote that so ironically has been repeated after Miller’s death comes directly from this documentary. The film includes a clip from 2012 showing Mac Miller working on a project with rapper French Montana; the focus of this clip is French Montana’s concerned comments regarding Miller’s codeine consumption. In a follow-up clip, Miller states “I'd rather be the corny white rapper than the drugged-out mess who can't even get out of his house. Overdosing is just not cool. You don't go down in history because you overdose. You just die” (Cooper).

Before he reached the status of fame, Mac Miller was producing music videos as any teenager striving for a position in the music industry does. Miller utilized his beloved hometown city of Pittsburgh and the places he knew the best as backdrops for not only the place of origin for his music, but also for the themes and ideas described in the lyrics of his early and . “Don’t Mind if I Do” was one of Miller’s early songs and music videos released in 2010 (TreejTV). This track’s music Fig 1. PNC Park; "Don't Mind if I Do "; YouTube; Youtube.com; 11 Aug. 2010. video starts off on a boat on the Monongahela River cruising with friends and a featured girl. In the video, he explores some of Pittsburgh’s most notable places Robakiewicz 3 along the river such as PNC Park, the home of the Pittsburgh

Pirates and the South Tenth Street Bridge (see fig 1 & fig 2). The beat of the track changes and the scene of the music video shifts to show Miller at a party surrounded by other teenagers as the song is an upbeat remix of “Fireflies” by Owl City. This was an Fig 2. Miller pointing to South Tenth Street Bridge; “Don’t Mind if I Do music video”; YouTube; amateur music video that was meant to highlight Miller’s beloved Youtube.com; 11 Aug. 2010. city and his partying tendencies. This culture was one that Miller created early on in his career and was accurately depicted in this video.

The second music video, released in 2010, is for Miller’s first hit song “Nikes on My

Feet” (TreeJTV). The video shows him performing in front of his alma mater, Taylor Allderdice

High School. Notable alumni that paved the way for Miller’s introduction into the hip-hop scene include rappers , Beedie, and Pittsburgh Slim (Heyl). The video also has scenes from

Frick Park in Pittsburgh, which is the home of (Frick Park); Mac often used this location early on in his career and it was the inspiration for his first album. This location accurately illustrates the movement within Miller’s career. Some might argue that, early on,

Miller was naïve about the success that he would eventually experience, and this song supports this assertion in that some of the lyrics describe him eating at the food court in the mall, a typical activity of an average teenager (Peters). However, the shift in the subject of his music shows his movement from such innocent topics such as those touched on in “Nikes on My Feet” to the more serious subjects seen in his later music.

Perhaps one of the clearest indications of Miller’s rise to fame is the fellow rappers with whom he shared ideas for music. For example, he rose to the level of college rappers such as

Asher Roth and Aer, who rapped about similar topics such as partying and “hooking up” with Robakiewicz 4 girls. Miller didn’t only share with these other rappers in the topics they rapped about, but also in how they handled their fame; they didn’t flaunt their money, but they did attend crazy parties at their respective universities (Peters). One unique trait of Miller involved his background; because he had such a notable rise to fame from the undergrounds of Pittsburgh, he was able to utilize this background to appeal to the audiences of college kids initially and of larger crowds eventually. Miller was one of eleven rappers featured in XXL's Freshman Class of 2011, along with , and Lil Twist, all of whom are notable, well-known rappers.

Miller broke out after this release, and was well credited after Blue Slide Park, which was debuted at No. 1 on the (Finn). According to Micah Peters, of The Ringer, “he fully blossomed from a lovable stoner dork into something weirder on his sophomore album, the murky, genre-agnostic with the Sound Off.” This was the beginning of the new persona of Mac Miller, which was one that fans saw as deeply passionate about music and highly influenced by his experiences. Miller had such a wide range of vocals for being a rap/hip-hop artist and this is evident in the more intimate live recordings of his early and late album hits. This alter ego grew substantially with his second album, which led to him producing more music and getting deeper with his beats.

Around the release of Watching Movies with the Sound Off, Mac was casted for a show entitled Most Dope Family on MTV. Miller was casted to show and talk about his life in the rap industry. One of the takeaways from the show was the way that he openly admitted to having an addiction to cough syrup; Miller stated, “The reality is I gained, , 40 pounds when I was going to MTV and I didn't want to be fat on national television. I just stopped” (Finn). This is one of the first public addictions to opioids that he boasted about. He didn’t seem to have an issue kicking that addiction despite saying it was only because it was making him gain weight. Robakiewicz 5

He released a dark during this time entitled . This mixtape was essentially an autobiography of Miller’s drug use. Miller rapped with dark lyrics that insinuated a depressive state hanging over himself and there were references to premature death embedded within his lyrics (TMZ). Mac acknowledged the state that fans and critics saw from the Faces mixtape but somewhat disregarded it. This could have been a sign or call for help.

In addition to the drug problem, "I was just pretty depressed," he acknowledged to

King. "...I think it started [with success]. It's funny because you talk to people and they

say, 'You know, what do you have to be depressed about? You have money and [stuff].'

I think what was—you know, I'm 18, 19 years old, going through this for the first time,

doing it very differently, and I think what is usually just that moment in someone's life

where they're trying to figure out who they are and what their identity is, it just gets

magnified and it becomes a bigger thing because fame is tricky," Miller concluded,

"because you read what's said about you, then you know what you know to be true, and

the lines start to blur" (Finn).

While Mac Miller had notable possessions and the financial ability to have even more, he struggled with the reality that he was unhappy and unable to find someone to understand this state he was in. However, he found someone to understand him when he began a relationship with , a well-known pop singer. The two worked together on a few projects before beginning a relationship. During this relationship, he produced . Perhaps one of the best parts about this album was that he was able to write it completely sober (Finn).

"The idea of being 100 percent clear-headed was something I realized I had never

done," Miller told the magazine. "As soon as I felt what it felt like to wake up every

day and feel good every morning, I realized how important that was for me. You can do Robakiewicz 6

so much with a day. I spent so many days just waiting for the next one to come. Now,

I'm excited for every day, which is really great. As soon as I learned that I could do

things creatively sober, then it was good. As long as I can still be creative, I'm geeked.

It's even better because before, my every other aspect was destruction. Now I can do

both which is important because they feed off each other" (Finn).

This was arguably the peak in Mac Miller’s career because the album brought great success from a place not influenced by drugs or alcohol.

Meaghan Garvey’s analysis of Mac Miller’s latest album Swimming was released August

2, 2018, on The Guardian. Garvey’s article successfully analyzes not only Miller’s final album, but also how he reached this point. In analyzing his work, she highlights Miller’s final year of struggle with drugs and how those trials helped narrow his writing to show more depth and reflection. Mac was quoted in an interview with Beats 1 radio personnel Zane Lowe saying,

“You gotta understand: I lived a certain life for 10 years and faced almost no real consequences.

I had no version of the story that didn’t end up with me being fine” (Garvey). Between the crash and DUI to the public break-up with girlfriend Ariana Grande, Miller appeared very appreciative of these events because they foreshadowed a direction that Miller was not aware he was heading.

Garvey dives into Miller’s growth between his albums Blue Slide Park and Watching Movies with the Sound Off to The Divine Feminine and finally Swimming. She describes it in the sense that, “His rhymes got tighter and the beats trippier, often under his production alias, Larry

Fisherman. He sang as much as he rapped on The Divine Feminine, an intoxicating exploration of the ways we are transformed by love. He had never sounded more at ease with his place in the world” (Garvey). Mac Miller’s fifth and final album before his death was Swimming which, Robakiewicz 7

“seems informed by a similar sentiment. Where The Divine Feminine probed the spaces between people, Swimming focuses on Miller” (Garvey). To those that were fans of Mac Miller’s music, his final album closed on a more heartwarming note and seemed that he accepted his status and looked forward to more development.

Mac Miller’s final recorded performance before his death was with NPR for their Tiny

Desk Concert series. Miller performed three songs: “Small Worlds,” “What’s the Use,” and

“2009,” off of his latest album, Swimming (Carter). Micah Peters addresses Miller during this recording as “a man wizened by mishaps, at something close to peace, razzing for putting just a little too much effort into using the shaker.” According to many people who knew him, Mac Miller had a contagious warmth and an inviting personality that reflected his talent for rapping through even his common language. People agreed that he seemed happy, but some acknowledged that this happiness seemed to hide some darkness underneath. He never showed on the outside that he was anywhere near being at the end of his life and battling with addiction, but his lyrics gave an inside look to his dark thoughts. Mac appeared to be wise beyond his years at only the age of 26 when this was published (Peters). He stated in his song “2009”, “I ain't asking why no more/ I know I'll take it if it's mine/ I don't stay inside the lines/ It ain't 2009 no more/ Yeah, I know what's behind that door” (Carter). In this track, it seems that Miller had learned so much throughout his life, growing up into the spotlight. He appeared at peace with himself and his work and seemed eager for his upcoming tour.

Mac Miller died from a drug overdose on September 7, 2018. According to TMZ, “Mac was found Friday around noon in a bedroom at his San Fernando Valley home, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.” TMZ was the first media source to release this overdose and the reports were revised as more information was released, which made the death almost instantly Robakiewicz 8 public (TMZ). TMZ is known for being the first to report celebrity news and gossip and they were on scene for the news that emergency vehicles had been called to Miller’s house in Los

Angeles. While TMZ did not have a lot of factual history for Mac Miller, they highlighted the struggles that could have led him to the overdose. They mainly reported on the gossip surrounding Miller in the final months of his life. TMZ did bring up the Instagram story that he posted the night before his death and how that was ironic because it was the outro of his latest album Swimming. The video showed a vinyl record fading out of the final verse on “So it Goes.”

This was filmed on his cell phone and the end of the story had music that seemed almost uplifting; narratively speaking, the music faded out, which portrayed a happy ending to the album and potentially his life. With this Instagram story in mind, one could argue that, at the end of his life, Mac Miller just wanted happiness; he wanted the normal trials of life and desired to simply produce music without all of the extra noise.

Mac Miller’s overdose was one of so many that occur each day throughout the United

States. According to Rhea Felicilda-Reynaldo of Medsburg Nursing, “Opioid intoxication or overdose occurs when a person takes a dose much higher than he or she can tolerate, takes the drug through alternate routes (e.g., snorting, sniffing), or ingests the drug with other medications

(especially depressants such as alcohol or benzodiazepines.)” The narcotics found at the scene most likely contained an opioid that could have possibly been more potent or too large of a dose for Miller, which caused his death. The reason that Miller relied heavily on opioids and other forms of enhancing drugs and alcohol was that “when dopamine levels increase, mood-altering sensations such as euphoria and tranquility occur” (Felicilda). This fueled much of his music in his mixtapes and albums that he wrote and produced. Mac admitted to rarely recording sober and just enjoyed the feeling of being removed from society to some degree. Miller also referred to his Robakiewicz 9 ability to stop using some drugs, or to use not as frequently, throughout the stages of his career and life. In “Stopped Making Excuses,” Miller admitted that he was not on drugs during the filming of the documentary because he didn’t need them all the time. What often makes those who abuse substances turn back to using them is withdrawal. In addition to this common reason for relapse, Miller was also presented with opportunities to take drugs throughout most of his days. Miller’s inability to record or perform without being controlled by a substance shows that he was already physically dependent on the drugs (Felicilda).

While it may have seemed to Miller that he was too famous to ask for help, there were plenty of welcoming places that could have helped him get clean from his addictions. The constant spotlight could have pushed Miller away from the idea of getting help because all of his fans would have known that he was looking for help and would have potentially lost interest in his work. He also got tired of people asking questions about the personal life that unfortunately lost its privacy as he grew more and more famous. Oftentimes, Miller would become frustrated when people reached out to help. He stated in an interview, “It's annoying to be out and have someone come up to me and think they know. They're like 'Yo, man, are you okay?' I'm like

"Yeah, I'm f--king at the grocery store" (Finn). Addiction centers, such as the Belmont-

Watertown United Methodist Church, offer meetings for more than one thousand addicts a week

(Hearlson). Many of those affected by addiction are able to come without being judged by where they came from or their looks, which could have worked for Miller. When talking about one of her fellow members and the effectiveness of these places, one female stated, “You are all covered in tattoos, I have known you for four weeks, I have already told you things I haven’t told my best friends of 30 years. How’d you get us to do that?” (Hearlson). Anecdotes like these Robakiewicz 10 present the possibility that Miller would have been able to reach out to an addiction center and received help.

Through the tragic death of superstar Mac Miller, his fans can learn to look for the signs of opioid addiction as well as when addicts appear to be seriously struggling and reaching out for help. Miller did not die selfishly, but rather because “addiction is a disease, exacerbated by a social climate that doesn’t adequately support recovery, from the stigma that “addicts” face a general lack of mental health resources” (McDermott). Miller was consumed by his addictions and did not die on the behalf of others. He openly talked about the ups and downs that he faced with his addictions but was rather silent about how he recovered. He was not open about seeking treatment and at times did not feel that he needed treatment. McDermott and other famous celebrities, such as Macklemore, have come forward since his death and want their audiences to understand that it is more than acceptable to open up to those closest to them about addiction.

People are waiting with open arms to help those struggling and to accept them for what is oftentimes thought of as a battle to be fought alone.

Mac Miller was just a kid that grew up into a huge spotlight in the music industry, an industry filled with drugs and alcohol and frequently the place of widespread addiction. Miller took on a path that allowed him to have a vast influence through his lyrics and character, but this path was soon overtaken by drug addiction. Miller died tragically from overdose, but his legacy lives on through his music videos and interviews as the corny white kid that forever changed the rap and hip-hop industry.

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Works Cited

Carter, Bobby. “Mac Miller.” NPR, NPR, 6 Aug. 2018,

www.npr.org/2018/08/06/635054748/mac-miller-tiny-desk-concert.

Cooper, Duncan. “Watch Stopped Making Excuses, A FADER Documentary About Mac

Miller.” The FADER, 5 Feb. 2016, www.thefader.com/2016/02/05/mac-miller-fader-

documentary-stopped-making-excuses.

Garvey, Meaghan. “Mac Miller: Swimming Review – Maturing Rapper in Search for Self-

Acceptance.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 2 Aug. 2018,

www.theguardian.com/music/2018/aug/02/mac-miller-swimming-review.

Finn, Natalie. “Inside Mac Miller's Shocking Downward Spiral.” E! Online, 8 Sept. 2018,

www.eonline.com/news/966515/mac-miller-s-shocking-downward-spiral-inside-his-last-

year-of-highs-and-lows.

“Frick Park.” Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, www.pittsburghparks.org/frick-park.

Hearlson, Adam. “Facing the Opioid Crisis. (Cover Story).” Christian Century, vol. 133, no. 23,

Nov. 2016, pp. 22–25. EBSCOhost.

Heyl, Eric. “Heyl: Pittsburgh's Taylor Allderdice High School Churns Out the Rich and

Famous.” Stone Mountain-Lithonia, GA Patch, 14 Aug. 2017,

patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/heyl-pittsburghs-taylor-allderdice-high-school-

churns-out-rich-famous.

McDermott, Maeve. “Three Hard Lessons about Addiction We Learned after Mac Miller's

Death.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 17 Sept. 2018,

www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/09/17/mac-millers-death-prompts-hard-

lessons-addiction/1304415002/. Robakiewicz 12

TreeJTV. “Mac Miller - Don't Mind If I Do.” YouTube, 11 Aug. 2010,

www..com/watch?v=VbjhM3Bmusw.

TreeJTV. “Mac Miller - Nikes On My Feet.” YouTube, 1 June 2010,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-rqu-hjobc.

Peters, Micah. “Mac Miller Was Unfinished.” The Ringer, 10 Sept. 2018,

www.theringer.com/music/2018/9/9/17839390/mac-miller-death-tiny-desk-concert-

space-migration-sessions.

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Addiction, Part I.” MEDSURG Nursing, vol. 23, no. 6, Nov. 2014, pp. 391–396.

EBSCOhost.

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www.tmz.com/2018/09/07/mac-miller-dead-dies/.