Death is Not the End

Photo courtesy of the Mac Miller Facebook page

One of the first big album releases of 2020 came on January seventeenth in the form of Circles by Mac Miller. Anyone familiar with the name might know the native Pittsburgh rapper died of an accidental drug overdose in September 2018, just three months after the release of his fifth studio album, Swimming. After his death, Swimming reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart for the first time, and Mac received his first Grammy nomination for the project. 

New music by Mac Miller began to surface, two features he recorded before his passing, as well as many leaked tracks were filling the void left in his fan base by the artist’s untimely passing. One of the first leaked songs that hit Twitter with the title “Benji the Dog” amassed an insane amount of plays in the very short period of time before the song was taken down. The song features a wonderful instrumental with a beautiful piano intro, along with Mac Miller’s groove baseline that was becoming quite popular in his music and vocal samples, paired with a solemn hook in which McMormick states, “That’s life.” 

The song was then released by producer 88-Keys with a feature from hidden pop star Sia under the name “That’s Life.” The intro was gone. The base was gone. Additions of new boom bap drums and a saxophone took away from Mac’s voice, as well as the addition of many gimmicky sounds. The song was watered down as a significant decline from the leaked version. It can’t be said how much of the original leaked version was changed after Mac Miller died, but the song felt much less like Mac’s work and was appropriately released under the producer’s name. So when Mac Miller’s family came out and announced an album would be released nearly a year and a half after his passing, there were mixed reactions. However, the statement that started the most unease, was the pronouncement that the album was in the works as a companion to Swimming at the time of Mac’s death, and that he would have wanted the world to hear it. It is not the first time posthumous music has sparked debates.

Posthumous music is nothing new. The biggest stars across all genres have had music released after their death. Legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Michael Jackson, and many more have all released music after their passing. Rap music especially is no rookie in the world of posthumous albums. Starting with early stars such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, posthumous rap has always been a part of the industry. More recently, huge names have passed, reaching legendary status, including Nipsey Hussle, Xxxtentacion, and Juice Wrld.

Many artists have taken on a newfound fame after their death. Practically all artists see a large spike in their sales after dying. The exposure from news coverage can play a large role in this phenomenon. Xxxtentacion and Lil Peep were celebrated by the entire music community as pioneers after their death, while they were not as acclaimed during their lives. Artists Capital Steez and A$AP Yams were outlived by their influence on other musicians much more than their music has impacted listeners. Both deceased artists have a music festival celebrating their vision, as one created the A$AP Mob and the other Pro Era. Die hard fans even still await the promised posthumous album King Capital, and rap star friend Joey Bada$$ has often been accosted on the anticipated release, claiming they were awaiting sample clearance, and the estate would not let the album go. Plenty of other famous artists have had their releases blocked while others try to release music at all costs. 

The question it all boils down to is this: would they have wanted this released? Many artists who pride themselves on their creative control would have a hard time letting go, theoretically, if given the choice. But all the hard work they may have put into music before their untimely deaths makes the debate more interesting.