Mac Miller’s 2014 LP “Faces” released on streaming services – The Daily Mississippian

Three years after Mac Miller passed away, his 2014 LP “Faces” hit all major streaming services. Originally created and released in 2014, “Faces” has apparently been lost due to numerous sample clearance issues around the mixtape. Loaded with features and a 2010 rap feel, Mac Miller exposes everything with jazzy tunes while discussing his struggles with drugs, mortality, and anxiety.

“Faces” is Mac’s darkest project, but also one of his most beloved projects. It gives the listener an honest perspective and does not hold anything back. With the opening lyrics of the song “I Should Have Died Already”, this album was not meant to be a hit. This album captures Mac’s struggle and journey back to Malcolm.

On the first track “Inside Out”, Mac talks about his drug use and how he spent most of his time indoors focusing on creating music and developing his art while watching the movie. world and trying to explain his life. Mac’s studio, the Sanctuary, is where he spent most of his Face-era time, literally locking himself in the studio and perfecting his craft.

In “Here We Go,” Mac exposes his success and newfound wealth and stands out from other rappers who pass their first “real” checks to features from other rappers or new channels. The last line of the first and second verse ends relatively the same: “I did everything without Drake function” and “I did everything without Jay function”. Not only does Mac say he never paid for his features, but that Drake is actually the one who paid for the Jay-Z feature.

“Friends” is the next song and is mostly self-explanatory. Mac raps about her crazy life and rise to fame, but makes sure to give credit to those who have always been by her side. The following song, however, contrasts with “Friends” and focuses more on a low point in drug use in Miller’s life with an appropriate title of “Angel Dust”. This song begins with an intro depicting Mac doing a line of PCP, or Angel Dust, and through the song he talks about his high and his descent until the end of the song where he begs himself to stay. away from drugs.

On “Malibu”, the album’s next track, Mac takes another look at her drug use, but this time focused on her struggles with weed, cocaine, ecstasy and other intoxicants. Mac raps about the insane amount of drugs in his system and lets his fans know that while he may die before he can detoxify himself, he did it for them.

Fast forward to a few tracks in “Therapy,” where Mac explains that his personal form of therapy often involved living a full life, no matter how emotionally he felt and no matter if he got his flourishing from drugs, from women. , houses, cars or in this case music. Mac doesn’t claim that this is a perfect way to take care of yourself, but rather asks the listener a question about what it feels like to be with someone like him?

“Polo Jeans” features Earl Sweatshirt, and he and Mac recall how critical the critics are of everything musicians post. Regardless of the social status of rappers, critics continually belittle, berate, and humiliate them. The sample for this song is from the movie “Gummo”, and Earl and Mac chose this sample because they sympathize with the terrorized “bunny” in the movie.

Following that track is “Happy Birthday”, where Mac takes the listener on a descriptive experience of a birthday party for a widely famous rapper. The first verse deals with the number of people who come together at a feast to have one feast rather than to celebrate the person present. He then goes into a small conversation with a guest in the second verse before flying off into a tangent in the third verse, discussing what really interests him, like finding interwoven meaning in the weird parts of his life.

“Diablo” is one of my favorite songs on this album and Mac actually produced the beat himself under his producer pseudonym Larry Fisherman. Mac presents his lyricism and how he takes on the character of a devil on this track to symbolize how constant scrutiny and criticism changed Mac from the happy and lucky kid in 2010 to the now darker drug addict rapper than he is any. throughout the “Faces” era.

“Ave Maria”, “Insomniak”, “Thumbalina” and the final bonus song “Yeah” are all other notable songs that I listen to regularly from the album. This album and Mac’s journey of life struggles set the stage for the next album chronologically, “GOOD: AM”, where Mac was able to take a breath of fresh air and start a new chapter in her life.

“Faces” isn’t just another rap album for Mac Miller. It’s a journey into Mac’s bizarre mind during this dark time in her life. Mac said it best on “Here We Go” with the line “is not little Malcom with the baby face” and it isn’t. He transformed the adversity he faced into his personal art form: music.

I never met Mac, but felt like I had lost a close friend when she died. I am happy to see that “Faces” has finally reached the streaming services that everyone can hear and unite with the rest of their discography. It’s one of my favorite Mac Miller projects and this album is a 9/10 for me.

Rest in peace Mac.