The Rise Of The Rapper Mac Miller

Here we look at the the rise of the rapper Mac Miller who also double up as a record producer. In high school, Miller decided to focus on his hip hop career, later noting, “Once I hit 15, I got real serious about it and it changed my life completely … I used to be into sports, play all the sports, go to all the high school parties. But once I found out hip-hop is almost like a job, that’s all I did.” Miller, a self-taught musician, plays piano, guitar, drums, and bass.

In early 2010, Miller signed a record deal with Pittsburgh-based indie record label Rostrum Records. He subsequently began recording his debut studio album Blue Slide Park, and released it on November 8, 2011. The album went on to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, making it the first independently distributed debut album to top the chart since Tha Dogg Pound’s 1995 album, Dogg Food.

In early 2013, Miller launched REMember Music, his own record label imprint, named after a friend who died. Miller’s second album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, was released on June 18, 2013. In January 2014, Miller announced he was no longer signed to Rostrum Records. In October 2014, it was reported Miller signed a record deal for him and his label REMember, with Warner Bros. Records. Mac Miller includes Big L, Lauryn Hill, the Beastie Boys, Outkast, and A Tribe Called Quest among his influences.