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Top 10 Best Mac Miller Moments

The best Mac Miller moments make us remember why he was so great, and sad that he help us so quickly.

By WatchMojoPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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Though his time with us was so sadly short, Mac Miller always made each day count. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down the "Top 10 Mac Miller Moments."

We're looking at Mac's finest work outside of the studio to celebrate the life he lived. We're basing our picks on a mix of playful rapping, hilarious antics, and how he offered his fans a more personal experience.

Since Mac Miller loved whiskey so much, his appearance on webseries That's Odd, Let's Drink It featured whiskey-beer hybrids. As Mac drinks more fine ales, he reveals that he's grown more confident from his early albums. Host Sam Calagione even gets Miller to talk about hiding away with an OutKast record as a child, which helped him learn to rap. Sam's great chemistry with Mac makes for some hilarious jokes, but also a lot of interesting stories. Miller also awkwardly reviews Calagione's amateur craft-beer rap group. After their chat, the pair name Mac's beer 12:50 to honor both his naming-scheme and the beer's alcohol content.

Barely a day before Mac passed away, he went on Instagram Live to work on some music right in front of his fans. Miller plays around on his keyboard beat-maker for a few minutes, until he finally settles on a rhythm he likes. Then Mac starts working on organ lines, before having to stop when his finger starts bleeding. Watching Miller layer in a bass line for his recording, it's truly impressive how much of the music he produces on his own. Mac's transparency and banter show how much fun he has in the studio and interacting with his fans.

After some kids go missing, Snoop Dogg and Mac Miller wander a forest as potheads in Scary Movie 5. The pair debate health care and how shampoo can sting your nether regions, before Snoop drops a joke about the phallic name of Johnson & Johnson. Mac gets real meta when he questions why two stoners are in the woods to begin with, before he and Snoop run with a giant joint. Even though Miller names off a dozen horror movies in cabins, the duo go into one anyways. By bringing his signature snarky humor to the scene, Mac sells his character and then some.

Noisey asks Mac to respond to YouTube fan comments on a variety of topics, including his "I Am Who Am (Killin' Time)" video, and he gets funny and angry. When someone claims only Miller and Macklemore are rapping about serious issues, Mac is baffled. He goes on to name off a bunch of white rappers to point out how narrow-minded the fan is. Miller then even plays off comments debating whether he was better at the start of his career, and insists he's growing beyond being the Adam Sandler of hip hop. Mac's joking approach lightens up controversial religious commentary and highlights his smarts.

Mac Miller flipped the script on Pitchfork's “Over/Under” enough to surprise himself a couple times. Miller tries to show his love of wordplay and inadvertently makes a call out to rapper Big Pun as well. Rusted Root however seems to break Mac, as he can't find anything actually positive to say about them. Mac makes fun of his own height, and sarcastically riffs on the benefits of being short. He does however open up about overcoming negativity in his life, and laments why fans want their artists to be sad people. Miller's “Over/Under” appearance is equally comedic and insightful thanks to his spontaneous creativity.

With so much interesting studio production on Miller's 2018 album Swimming, he had to create something new when he visited NPR. Stripping away most of the production let Mac's lyrics shine through, and showcase how tight much of his writing really is. Thundercat joins in on bass for “What's The Use,” as he and Miller play off each other's rhythms. String players flesh out the stoic “2009” beautifully, despite having learned Mac's song only briefly before performing. This range of sounds and maturity sets the Tiny Desk Concert apart from Mac's usual sets.

Sharp fans may have already known about Mac Miller's extra releases under his various “Larry” alter egos. In an bit from his MTV reality show, Miller breaks down how each Larry allows him to express his art. Larry Fisherman is a quiet guy who fished to feed his family before turning to music. Mac's hirsute jazz-crooning persona Larry Lovestein brings the good feelings and romance. Miller also makes up jail-bound Larry Dollaz, and hints that there could be other Larrys. Between all his joking, Mac does give an interesting peek behind his thought process.

Since Mac Miller put out his track “Donald Trump” early in his career, it was important for him to address his stance on Trump's politics. As Mac calls out Donald's crazy lawsuit on Larry Wilmore's show, the producers title him as "Trump's Nemesis." While he calls out the racism of "Make America Great Again" Miller tries to white-splain why people dislike Donald. In Mac's dissection of Trump's hunger for attention, he debates that Donald may be more egotistical than evil. Miller also appeals to voters' power and says he'll fight to preserve America. Despite his constant grin, Mac cuts deep on Trump's major flaws for an eviscerating rant.

When Mac Miller sat down to talk with Hot 97, he upped the ante for a freestyle rap session. After breezing past his day-to-day life and boasting about his new work, Mac's flow moves right into rhymes about the people who put him down. Miller goes into a trance as he blends his boisterous wordplay with a surprising amount of historical references. While it's not as goofy or off-the-cuff as his freestyle on Sway in the Morning, it has an old school charm to it. By following his instincts, Mac really blows us away on this rap.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

  • Going Back To School
  • Crafting Beats
  • Explaining the Lyrics to "Dang!"

In 2012, 18-year-old Pittsburgh native Bobby Stewart, aka aspiring MC Yung KA, was suffering from various diseases, including lymphoblastic lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. But his love of hip hop kept him going. When the Make-A-Wish Foundation gave Stewart a chance to work with Miller, both of them put their hearts into it. While Mac could easily have dominated the session, he really treated Bobby with professional respect, and the pair worked together to inspire other cancer patients. After Miller's previous large donation to Make-A-Wish, it was heartwarming to see him take it further. Mac gave Bobby a day to truly remember.

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WatchMojo

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