As a child what did you imagine you would be at the age of 20? A racing driver? A politician? A Booker Prize-winning author? Mac Miller imagined that he would be a globe-trotting rapper – and, six months into his twenty-first year, that’s exactly what he is.
Click images to enlarge.
Miller has had precisely the sort of year of which kids dream. 2011’s Best Day Ever mixtape saw the rapper elevated from Pittsburgh hero to genuine global concern, but it was Blue Slide Park, his debut LP, that really heralded Miller’s arrival. A heady mix of throwback lyricism and distinctly contemporary instrumentals, many of which Miller played live, the record is an unashamedly enthusiastic paean to youth and success. That enthusiasm was catching: Blue Slide Park became the first independently distributed album to top the US charts in a decade and a half. Now, Miller tours. He is currently in the middle of a co-headline jaunt with Wiz Khalifa, and will have just a few days off before heading out on a 24-date trip across the States to support his forthcoming Macadelic mixtape. Paying a visit to the UK earlier this year, the size of the venues he filled is testament to the goodwill he enjoys here, almost 4,000 miles from home. Before a packed show at the Kentish Town Forum, i-D online spoke to the rapper about The Postal Service, beat envy and a potential collaboration with Missy Elliott.
From left. Look one: Mac wears sunglasses Ray-Ban. T-shirt and shorts BBC Ice Cream. Chain and baseball cap Mac’s own. Look two and three: Shirt Ralph Lauren. Chain, baseball cap and sunglasses Mac’s own. Look four, five and six: Jacket BBC Ice Cream. Jumper BAPE. Sunglasses Ray-Ban. Chain, cap, t-shirt, jeans and trainers Mac’s own.
Text: Josh Hall
Photography: Dexter Navy
