If there is one artist in hip-hop who has changed who they are as an artist for the better in the past year, it has to be Mac Miller. The most noticeable difference in the music is the beats he produces and raps on. They are slower and more trippy than other beats that he had messed with in the past. Personally, I find it all dope, and really have been feeling his production. His sophomore album, Watching Movies With the Sound Off, was the first real glimpse of the new Mac Miller. The album was great, and did pretty well selling over 100,000 copies in the first week. From what I have been told, that may be the last album we are going to hear from Mac Miller for the next two years. With that said, Mac should still be making a lot of noise over the next year in Hip-Hop. He produced some big name tracks for some big name artists, such as Earl, Mellow Hype, Freddie Gibbs, Smoke DZA, and Ab-soul. I expect more and more artists to hop on the tracks that he produces, and ultimately I believe that is what is going to keep him relevant in Hip-Hop in that gap between his last album and his next.
Delusional Thomas was released two days ago on Larry Fisherman's (Mac Miller) soundcloud. Each track on this free tape was produced by Mac, but the only big name on the tape was Earl. Every beat on this mix tape is on point, Mac is fantastic at making super trippy beats that go well with rap. My favorite track on the tape has to be Bill. This track features one of Mac's homies from Pittsburgh, Bill Neils. Bill is the founder, owner, and creative director of the super dope clothing line Daily Bread PA. The first mention of this track was when Earl was on the Sway in the Morning show back in mid August at 4:44 into the interview (definitely worth a watch). Personally, I've been waiting for this song ever since that interview, and was very glad to see it on the new mix tape.