By: Ryan Smithers

It’s unfortunate that death is what it takes for someone to get the attention they deserved. Ever since Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller passed away last Friday, his music streams have increased by almost 1,000 percent. I’m not going to lie. I’ve spent more time listening to him after his death than before, but I was there for his come up. “Frick Park Market”, “Party on Fifth Ave”, and “Donald Trump” are all bops that bring me back to my childhood. I have vivid memories of driving around downtown Chicago listening to Mac Miller. Those moments made me realize how many people he really impacted and how the Mac Miller infatuation really hit the older generation of “kids.” I couldn’t imagine being a Pittsburgh teenager during the Mac age. Literal insanity. The way the city picked him up and gave him room to grow is few and far between these days.

More and more rappers are coming out with music related to drug use. Unfortunately, a precedent has been established where the line between lyrics and reality has become blurred. I listen to this music on a daily basis and I can attest that there’s little to no intention to glorify and encourage drug use. A lot of people fail to grasp that these artists have problems that continue along with drug abuse. The reason I bring this up is that Mac Miller got caught up in drug problems long before these other rappers. It doesn’t mean that he’s a bad person. He tried to address these problems within his work and it seemed as if no one noticed. Drug abuse is so popular in music these days that it flies over everyone’s head and when something happens that’s when people begin to notice. It’s hard to blame rappers for this issue when it’s the real reason they blow up. If someone came into the rap game trying to diss drug use then who would listen to them? It’s a fad that will never come to an end. There’s a difference between artists promoting their drug use versus an artist calling out for help under drug control and it’s just awful that Mac caught the worse end.

All in all, Mac was an immense figure that shall never be forgotten. His life should be shown off way beyond his struggles of drug abuse. He meant a lot more to his listeners than he knew and it’s heartbreaking that he didn’t get to see how much he was cherished. Huge icons in the music industry have been coming out to shows with tributes to honor him. Athletes have had custom shoes made to show their appreciation. That’s the attention he deserved. He was a loving guy that repped his city and played the game the right way. That’s what he should be known for. A great, humorous man that had a problem too hard to fix. Rest easy, Mac.