Page 46 T THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS May 12, 2011  cjnews.com Check out our blog @ heebonics.ca MC Mac Miller says he won’t forget his Jewish roots

Daniel Koren “I really dig Toronto. It’s a cool place, and I seri- Special to The CJN ously like the vibe,” Miller said. The young MC was modest about his show ook out Drake, there’s a new Jewish rapper selling out and said he appreciates all the support in town. he’s been receiving on this side of the border. L Mac Miller, born Malcolm McCormick, is Inspired primarily by old-school rap groups like the newest Jewish rap sensation, and he’s been A Tribe Called Quest and Big L, Mac Miller’s music steadily gaining momentum following the release is a blend of classic and contemporary hip hop. of his mixtape K.I.D.S. last year. Best Day Ever samples independent artists The 19-year-old MC spoke to The CJN about his such as MSTRKFT and Sufjan Stevens, and his rise to fame, his musical influences and juggling his sound is influenced by rappers Kid Cudi and Jewish identity with his music career. Kanye West. Now signed to independent label Rostrum Miller also enlisted well-known producers Records – which also represents promising rap star Chuck Inglish and Just Blaze to provide a fresh Wiz Khalifa, whose Black And Yellow anthem is take on instrumentals. one of the hottest rap tracks these days – Miller’s Unlike most artists in the rap scene nowadays, fanbase is growing faster than he ever dreamed. Miller uses beats that transform pop rock and indie But the Pittsburgh native said no matter how pop into rap. famous he gets, he’ll never forget his roots. He said his talent is based on his love of music, Miller grew up in a traditional Jewish home, had having grown up listening to a variety of artists a bar-mitzvah and observes the High Holidays. and performing himself as often as he could. “Judaism is definitely my heritage, so I grew up At 14, he joined a rap group called The Ill celebrating High Holidays. It’s harder for me now Spoken with fellow Pittsburgh rapper Beedie, and since I’m always on the road, but whenever I’m at also released his own solo material. home with my family, we always do something,” To date, the prolific Mac Miller has seven mix- said Miller, who also sports a not-so-subtle chai tapes to his name, and vows to continue releasing tattoo on his arm. as many as possible until the entire world knows Miller said he grew up in a culturally diverse his name. city, much like Toronto. “We definitely had a Though he’s already garnered a large fan base, Jewish community where I grew up, but there he plans to continue releasing free tracks and were also all sorts of people, and we all kind of mixtapes until he decides to release a proper full- lived together in harmony. No one was very reli- length record. gious when it came down to it.” He said his objective is to keep his music as After bursting onto the scene last year with his original and entertaining as possible, constantly well-received K.I.D.S. mixtape, featuring tracks trying out new sounds and different methods of including Nikes On My Feet and Kool Aid And recording. Frozen Pizza, he released another mixtape called One of the highlights on the new record is a Best Day Ever, which can be downloaded for free song called Oy Vey, which Miller said is “a fun on his website. term that Jews would understand. For those who His video for Donald Trump, the album’s aren’t [Jewish], it’s a little Jewish culture for ev- first single, had more than one million views on erybody,” he said with a laugh. YouTube in less than a week. Thanks to Miller and Wiz Khalifa, the Pitts- With a growing number of avid Jewish followers, burgh music scene is at an all time high. Miller particularly in Toronto, Miller made his way to the insists that he will stay loyal to his hometown, city earlier this year as part of his first solo tour. make music only with people he enjoys working Tickets for his show were in such high demand with and, most importantly, will be doing that his performance had to be moved from the another tour in the summer. Mod Club to The Opera House to accommodate With plans to make it to Canadian cities in a larger audience. July, Miller promises that this tour will “be even crazier than the last time.” He added that he also has aspirations to perform in Israel – he just “needs to get an More news for Israeli booking agent.” young Jews on Any takers? heebonics.ca To download your free copy of Mac Miller’s latest mixtape, visit www.listentobestdayever. com.

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