Truth be told, my first encounter with Miller was his featuring on Grande’s breakout hit “The Way” (2013). His overdose made headlines immediately, but the odd thing about the coverage of his death was how another name was constantly being paired with his – Ariana Grande. “2009” is a song that pulls you in with its classical introduction, and I really enjoy the lyrics regarding his rise to fame, especially when he says, “Sometimes I wish I took a simpler route, Instead of havin’ demons that’s as big as my house.” As for “Ladders”, the juxtaposition between the happy atmosphere of the instrumental and the lyrical theme of hard work that might come crumbling down is something I really find interesting. In particular, I really enjoyed the tracks “2009” and “Ladders”. Swimming will surely become one of my go-to ‘rainy day’ albums. His 2018 album Swimming is a perfect example of this. Listening to his albums after his death, one thing is abundantly clear his appeal comes from the nostalgic feelings a lot of his songs bring. Although I was not a fan of the rapper myself, I absolutely knew of his existence and his place in pop culture. On September 7, Mac Miller died from an overdose. Calling out the trent of blaming women for the addictions of men like Mac Miller
