The final Mac Miller project leaves fans with exactly what they needed and then some.
In the final addition to Mac Miller's catalog, the late rapper, and his producer Jon Brion, gave the world a project worthy of being placed alongside his top-tier discography, but more importantly, they delivered a hurt fanbase the closure it desperately needed.
Despite the world knowing for over a year now how the story of Mac Miller ends, it's still Miller, who even with his unexpected death, that manages to sound like the person most at peace with his ending.
One reason Mac Miller's death hit so hard for many people was due to the fact that the 26 year old seemed to finally come to grips with his inner demons on "Swimming".
He rapped lines like:
"you gotta jump in to swim/the light was dim in this life of sin/Now every day I wake up and breathe/I don't have it all, but that's alright with me" on "2009".
And on that same track, which was the second-to-last song on the album, Miller introduces what would become the most important ingredient of "Circles", as he rapped "With these songs I can carry you home/I'm right here when you scared and alone".
While "Swimming" was a great project, the general theme of the project is Mac Miller addressing his issues and seemingly being ready to heal. Had that forever been the last project we heard from Miller, its message, combined with the circumstances of his death, would have left fans trapped with the sad belief that he died just before he could see peace.
Let's use Ricky from Boyz n the Hood as an example.
For those unaware of Ricky's situation, he was a star high school football player that had gotten murdered days before receiving the SAT scores he needed to attend his dream college and escape his dangerous neighborhood. This left the audience with the concept that Ricky was just days away from escaping his troubles, which makes his death 10 times harder to swallow.
The same would have gone for Mac Miller had "Swimming" served as his final album. Instead, Brion was able to do a masterful job of piecing together the last words of Miller to show that he was at peace with wherever life took him—a much easier ending to accept.
Less than two minutes into "Circles", some of the first words listeners are greeted with from Mac Miller since his passing are:
“Who am I to blame? Who am I to blame?/I cannot be changed, I cannot be changed/Trust me I've tried, I just end up right at the start of the line" and "Do not be afraid, do not be afraid/You're feeling sorry, I'm feeling fine".
The reassuring closure Miller is able to provide on the introduction alone is a feeling so eerily needed that it feels like the track was recorded just in case his death was to happen. In fact, the entire project ties together the final thoughts of Miller so well, while also giving the audience exactly what they need to hear, that it feels like a Hollywood-written end of a storied character.
Similar to how in Endgame Tony Stark left his family with a closing hologram to let them know he was okay with dying and to tell them how much he loved them, Mac Miller feels like he’s in the room of every listener, providing comfort and clarity through his last songs.
As the project progresses, the feeling of Miller's omniscient presence manages to shift from emotional and eerie at the start of the project to emotional and freeing by the time he sings “Once a Day” to close out his legacy.
“You’re running low on regret/No tears that’s keeping you wet/I think you getting it now,” sings Miller on the final track.
Similar to how people have cited dead family members visiting in their dreams to let them know to stop worrying, Miller's lyrics and vocals have a similar effect on "Circles", as he softly sings his hard-hitting last words to ease listeners through his final goodbye.
According to Hip Hop by the Numbers, Miller sung on nearly 75% of "Circles" with 6 of the 12 songs being strictly singing.
Non-singers choosing to sing their lyrics brings a different level of welcomed rawness to their music. Think, Kanye West's "808's & Heartbreaks". That project has the feeling of being deeply personal because West is the one forcing his lyrics out in a way he's not gifted in, all for the sake of expressing an emotion that would get lost in rap.
Miller does the same on "Circles", as his singing gives the project the level of emotion that listeners can latch onto for closure as long as needed--just as he said he would in "Swimming".
“Circles” is equally as beautiful as it is hard-hitting. In his last performance, with the help of his legendary producer, Mac Miller was able to display his artistic development and help his audience cope with his tragic loss.
Final Score: I love you 3000/10
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