By Jate Britton
Columnist
The late hip-hop artist, Mac Miller’s, newest album, “Balloonerism,” was released on Jan 17, as the second album released after the artist’s passing in 2018. “Balloonerism” was recorded in 2014 but remained unpublished until recently. The album explores Miller’s self-struggles at the time, using narcotic themes.
While the jazz and hip-hop blend thematically represents Miller’s other work, “Balloonerism” felt disappointing and unfinished. With the album being released by Miller’s producers rather than himself, it’s likely that the album was incomplete or didn’t meet Miller’s standards.
The album remaining unpublished until after Miller’s death raises the ethical dilemma of posthumous albums, works released after the death of an artist. Many late artists, especially in hip-hop, have works released after their death: such as The Notorious B.I.G., XXXTENTACION and Juice WRLD; choosing in life to leave their albums unreleased because they disliked them or felt they were unfinished.
However, given that they are no longer preventing the distribution of their works, producers are free to publish them without restriction, leaving many to wonder if they are truly respecting the wishes of an artist.
Several songs from “Balloonerism” greatly illustrate Miller’s music style, with dark subjects and themes present throughout, such as“5 Dollar Pony Rides”, “Mrs. Deborah Downer”, “Funny Papers” and “Tomorrow Will Never Know”.
With the album being recorded in 2014, Miller was at an all-time high in popularity, yet the darker themes suggest he was struggling mentally.
“Ballonerism’s” dark undertones thematically tie the album together, but some songs from the album feel unfitting, such as “Stoned” and “Transformations”. These songs have a much different theme than the rest of the album and feels as if producers chose to add them to increase the album’s runtime.
Miller’s undeniable talent has influenced numerous artists in the industry, such as Vince Staples, Logic and Jack Harlow. Despite “Balloonerism” feeling incomplete, it greatly represented Miller’s music and will continue to inspire other artists in the industry with its experimental, psychedelic sound.
“Balloonerism” serves as an excellent representation of Miller’s struggle with narcotics and mental health. Being produced in 2014, this album helps illustrate Miller’s growth as an artist and the struggles he faced throughout his life that influenced the topics he addressed in his works.
Even with the album being an excellent representation of Miller’s work, it’s difficult to celebrate, considering the fact that Miller had no say in its release or how it was handled.
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