Mac Miller Blesses Us With His Artistry Again

‘Baloonerism’ is Mac Miller’s second posthumous album and let’s just say, it doesn’t even feel like a posthumous album.

This album feels like Mac Miller had a hand in the whole creative process. The album features collaborations with SZA, Ashley All Day and Delusional Thomas who is Mac’s alter ego, as well as Thundercat on bass and production. The single ‘5 Dollar Pony Rides’ is the only song that teased the project, it was a song already familiar to Miller fans but its official release was highly awaited.

The whole project captures Miller’s essence and creativity, and, unlike other posthumous albums, his estate really followed the instructions he had given when he wanted to release this album ten years ago. In fact, this posthumous record is an LP that the rapper was working on in 2014, but it never saw the light of day in favour of ‘Watching Movies With The Sound Off’ and the ‘Faces’ mixtape.

The production is mixed with neo-soul, funk, hip-hop and jazz, as in his previous projects. ‘Funny Papers’ is a good representation of how Mac really had his own world, it fits perfectly with any of Miller’s older projects from that period of time.

The narrative of ‘Baloonerism’ revolves around drug addiction, money, mental health issues and death, because Miller was in a bad place when it was made. Drugs are everywhere on this album, and death is mentioned throughout; for example in ‘Do You Have A Destination?’ where he says "I gave my life to this shit / Already killed myself ". Let’s just say that this project is not easy to listen to.

While the atmosphere of 'Baloonerism' is very dreamy, ‘5 Dollar Pony Rides’ and ‘Friendly Hallucinations’ are more upbeat and break the slow state you are in when listening to the other songs.

The last track 'Tomorrow Will Never Know' is a twelve minute long melancholic and doubtful tune, the lyrics feel like a punch in the stomach as Mac asks about what death feels like, and if dead people still have human experiences in the afterlife like dreaming, loving and feeling. This last song kind of echoes with the album 13th song ‘Rick’s Piano’ where Mac Miller wonders “How does death feel like?”.

Although sadness and nostalgia dominate this listen, it feels good to have Mac Miller back in our ears and, most importantly, an official release of the long awaited ‘Baloonerism’. 

In all, ‘Balloonerism’ is a jewel of production and instrumentals.

Lyndsia Alexandre-Alexis

 @lynds.shoots

Image: 'Baloonerism' Official Album Cover