On Swimming, rapper Mac Miller delivers mature and deeply personal lyrics over top-notch retro-influenced beats.
Mac Miller is one of the most artistically evolved musicians I have seen in our current era. Miller rose to prominence in the early 2010's. On mixtapes like K.I.D.S and albums like Blue Slide Park, Miller spits safe bro-y raps about picking up girls, smoking weed and partying. These themes served him well, putting him in hip-hop's limelight. However, Miller was not content to stagnate.
"Donald Trump"- 2011
That's the way it goes when you party just like I do
Bitches on my dick that used to brush me off in high school
Take over the world when I'm on my Donald Trump shit
Look at all this money, ain't that some shit
"2009"- 2018
"Take my time to finish, mind my business
A life ain't a life 'til you live it
I was digging me a hole big enough to bury my soul
Weight of the world, I gotta carry my own
My own, with these songs I can carry you home
I'm right here when you're scared and alone"
This lyrical maturity is the album's biggest feature. The dark, emotive lyrics are undoubtedly influenced by Miller's substance abuse issues and tumultuous relationship with pop star Ariana Grande. Throughout Swimming, we see the trials and cracks in a long-term relationship that would fail shortly before this records release.
The beats on this album are funky. If you have read some of my other reviews, you know I am a sucker for funk bass so I really enjoy most of the album's production. The synthesizers that pepper the tracks sound retro, but are used in a way that makes them accentuate the track instead of sounding corny.
"Ladders" is bouncy and light, perfectly poised to become a late-summer jam. Mac floats across this track, delivering rapid-fire lyrics that also sound effortless. Another favorite of mine is "2009". The tracks serene strings and delicate piano melody give Miller the perfect canvas to depict the struggles of moving on in life.
Conclusion: Mac Miller has always been an oddball in the rap world, but this alubum shows the beauty that can come from being strange. Listen.
