Mac Miller “Circles” vinyl is his first posthumous album which reflects his emotions before his untimely passing. On this LP, he says goodbye to his family, friends, and fans. Along the way, a plan for a trilogy comes to light.

Malcolm James McCormick was born on January 19, 1992, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At an early age, he became surrounded by instruments such as the piano and the guitar. Therefore, he dreamt of becoming a singer.

However, that changed once he discovered Hip-Hop, a genre about competitiveness and dedication, so, he knew he had to fully commit to becoming a rapper. But how do you succeed when you are not even signed to a label?

Well, he took the “50 Cent approach” and began flooding his high school with mixtapes such as “But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy” (2007), “The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown” (2009), “The High Life” (2009), “K.I.D.S.” (2010) and “Best Day Ever” (2011).

Eventually, all that buzz paid off, and his name started to ringbells beyond the school premises. Hence, this opened the door for his major debut “Blue Side Park” (2011) and follow-ups “Watching Movies with the Sound Off” (2013) and “GO:OD AM” (2015).

On “The Divine Feminine” (2016), Mac used it as an open experiment to fuse rap with jazz. But more importantly, he became vulnerable singing about love. For his next endeavor, Miller flew to Hawaii, where he recorded two materials.

The first one called “Swimming,” was released in August 2018. Shockingly, on September 7, 2018, Mac Miller passed away and the second project was shelved. Finally, on January 17, 2020, his family released “Circles.”

Mac Miller “Circles” vinyl

The LP starts with a melancholic sound that makes its presence in its entirety. However, “Blue World” switches to a short-vivid uplifting tempo before cuts such as “Good News,” “Everybody,” and “Woods” resume the nostalgic feel.

Moreover, “Hand Me Down,” “That’s On Me,” and “Surf” bring to light a beautiful guitar that enriches the sound overall. “Once a Day” resonates with the open track and “Right” leaves fans eagerly asking for more.

Producer Jon Brion revealed Malcolm had a vision for a trilogy. Swimming in Circles would culminate with a full Hip-Hop-driven album. Sadly, the final piece of the puzzle will only exist in James’ mind.

Whereas other artists hide their addictions, Miller openly talked about his drug habits and depression, similar to Juice WRLD. Truth is, he never felt comfortable in rehab. Thus, music was his therapeutic outlet to cope with pain.

Rest in Peace Malcolm. An artist at the pinnacle of his career with so much more to live alongside his family, friends, and fans. He was only 26 years old.

Enjoy his last live performance and listen to Mac Miller “Circles” vinyl in the link below.

1. “Good News” music video by Mac Miller. Directed by Anthony Gaddis and Eric Tilford (REMember, Warner, 2020). ↩︎
2. “Circles” album cover by Mac Miller (REMember, Warner Records, 2020). ↩︎

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Legends Never Die is Juice WRLD’s first posthumous album. Despite only having three LPs under his belt, he was able to achieve legendary status. How did he accomplish such prominence?

Born on December 2, 1998, in Chicago, Illinois, Jarad Anthony Higgins admired music at an early age. But living in a conservative household meant no Hip-Hop. However, as he grew older, his love for the genre could not be forever denied.

Once he started taking rap seriously (2015), he began uploading music to Soundcloud. And this is the beauty of the internet. Such platforms allow content creators to release music on a global scale while remaining independent. But how does someone succeed in the streaming era where massive content is uploaded on a daily basis? Talent.

His two EPs named “9 9 9” and “Nothings Different“ (2017) included his breakout songs “Lucid Dreams” and “All Girls Are the Same,” respectively. Behind the lens is American videographer Cole Bennett. Shoutout to Bennett, he has been killing it for a minute. After generating a buzz, he signed a record deal with Interscope Records in 2018.

On May 23, 2018, he released his major debut “Goodbye & Good Riddance.“ It peaked at #15 on the Billboard chart. In the music industry, the second album weighs more than the first. As an artist, you have to prove you are not a “one-hit-wonder” and can keep the momentum going. And so he did. His sophomore “Death Race For Love“ debuted at #1.

In addition, Juice loved to freestyle. In 2018, WRLD visited London station Tim Westwood and freestyled for one hour over Eminem beats. The art of “freestyling” is common in Hip-Hop. Top-tier lyricists like Tupac (R.I.P.), Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne are legends. The fact that he mastered such a craft at such a young age is mind-blowing.

Juice WRLD Legends Never Die

Juice WRLD was already working on his third album when he passed away in December 2019. Out of respect, I won’t be covering any further details. On July 10, 2020, his LP “Legends Never Die” was released.

The main topics in the project are anxiety and depression. Something he battled his entire life. Songs such as “Conversations” and “Wishing Well” chronicle his feud with demons. Furthermore, “Come and Go” depicts his desire for a long-lasting relationship, and “Righteous” is an emotional yet uplifting ballad. It features Marshmello, The Weeknd, Halsey, The Kid Laroi, and Trippie Redd.

I don’t believe in one-time-listen reviews but upon listening to the LP, you can point out he was on his path. Since freestyling in the booth was his passion, I’m sure his unreleased catalog expands beyond “Legends Never Die.” Let’s appreciate artists while they are alive and not dead. As Joyner Lucas (2020) said:

R.I.P. Pop Smoke (2020), R.I.P. Juice WRLD (2019), R.I.P. XXXTentacion (2018), R.I.P. Mac Miller (2018), R.I.P. Lil Peep (2017).

Watch Juice WRLD’s first posthumous video and listen to “Legends Never Die“ in the link below.

1. “Righteous” music video by Juice WRLD. Directed by Steve Cannon (Grade A, Insterscope, 2020). ↩︎
2. “Legends Never Die” album by Juice WRLD. Cover artwork by Corey Pane and Lucas Heirbaut (Grade A, Interscope, 2020). ↩︎

The post Juice WRLD may be gone but “Legends Never Die” appeared first on Music, Movies, and Me.