Mackin' ain't easy

• Ian Wolfson
• Mac Miller

One of the widest truths in music: depression yields excellence. Whether this condition stems from heartbreak, drug use, or mindless repetition, it's essentially a universal fact. It is no more obvious than it is to fans. Authenticity can be sensed, vibes can be explored, and content can be (painfully) relatable.

Demise of a relationship spanning a high school career, friendship found in camp yet lost half a world away, and an eerily intricate Jay Electronica verse later, Malcolm McCormick, aka Mac Miller, hasn't only broken the shackles of hip-pop notoriety but has done so in convincing fashion, tapping into dystopian worlds within an unrelenting aesthetic. His sophomore LP, Watching Movies With The Sound Off, forgoes any happy-go-lucky nature which may have been strewn about his previous releases. Instead, it favors an almost Kubrick-esque take on his cohorts as well as his new-found environment of Los Angeles.

Taking a look at Mac Miller today, one would be hard-pressed to imagine the path he's taken to avoid obstacles and mishaps. At the ripe age of 21, he's battled an addiction to lean (prescription codeine-promethazine often mixed with Sprite), a slew of personal attacks courtesy of none other than Donald Trump, a $10 million lawsuit from Lord Finesse and, above all else, early backlash over simply being a white rapper who enjoyed having a good time.