Even when the subject matter grew dark-Miller dealt openly with substance abuse before his death in September 2018 at age 26-he was candid and personable about channeling his struggles into relatable art.
Searching, jazzy, even philosophical, his music-often self-produced under the name Larry Fisherman-came to split the difference between popular appeal and creative ambition, uniting collaborators at both ends of the spectrum, from Snoop Dogg to Flying Lotus. He grew quickly: Few artists cover as much ground between albums as Miller did from Blue Slide Park to 2016’s The Divine Feminine, which saw him develop into a vocalist capable of duetting with Ariana Grande. A Pittsburgh native, Miller (born Malcolm McCormick in 1992) entered the mainstream with 2011’s playful, party-ready Blue Slide Park, only the second independently distributed debut to top the Billboard 200. Though he broke through as a brash teenager, Mac Miller evolved into one of the more thoughtful and surprising rappers of the 2010s.
