Mac Miller’s creative process is explored in the latest episode of HipHopDX‘s “Deep Dive” series — watch it below.
The 25-minute video paints an intimate picture of what the late rapper was like in the studio, featuring insight from some of his closest collaborators including Kendrick Lamar, Vince Staples, Anderson .Paak and more.
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More than just a rapper, Mac possessed a natural musicality and sense of melody that bled over into his approach when creating songs. “I don’t like to plan much. I really just like to hit record and go and see what happens, and figure it out later,” he says in one clip.
As evidenced in the evolution of his catalog, the Pittsburgh native was anything but complacent when it came to his craft, always keen on learning new instruments and improving as a musician and producer.
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“Mac would call me in the middle of the night, it be like three, four in the morning,” The Cool Kids’ Chuck Inglish recalls. “He’d have a cigarette in his mouth and he’d be like, ‘Aye, send me some drums.’ And he’d be practicing the piano.”
A generous and affable character, it’s impossible to talk about Malcolm James McCormick without mentioning his love of community and collaboration. In the early and mid 2010s, his home studio in L.A. — affectionately known as “the Sanctuary” — became a hub for some of the city’s brightest musical talents.
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“I introduced myself and he was like, ‘Yeah, I know who you are. Why don’t you make your music?'” Vince Staples says while recalling his first time meeting Mac. “I was like, ‘I don’t got no beats.’ He said, ‘I make beats now so come to my house and we gon’ make something.
“We really went to his house and we made that [Stolen Youth] tape in probably like one or two weeks. He just helped me a lot with getting my head straight and figuring out what I’m supposed to do with this.”
That connection and friendship he built with his musical peers is why his death in 2018 left such a profound impact on those he left behind. The episode includes emotional tributes from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Ty Dolla $ign and Thundercat following his untimely passing.
“He would pull up to the studio and give honest opinions. I played music and he said, ‘I like that, you should do something right here’ — just whatever. He was true and selfless about it,” K. Dot says while reflecting on his interactions with Mac.
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“Great musician, great writer, just always had a smile on his face, and that’s something that I commend. No matter what he was going through, he didn’t make you feel sorry for him. He was strong about it, always kept a smile on his face because he wanted you to smile too.”
The episode arrives just days before the fifth anniversary of Mac Miller’s death. And while time continues to march on without him here in the physical, his legacy continues to live on.
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Last month, Mac’s memorable Tiny Desk Concert was made available on vinyl for the first time, while his final album Swimming was reissued as a two-disc vinyl box set.
Watch the full episode below, and check out previous Deep Dives on J. Cole, Tyler, The Creator, JAY-Z, Lil Wayne, 2Pac and DMX.
