Mac Miller‘s manager, Christian Clancy, remembered the late rapper with a nostalgic, loving obituary in The Guardian, saying that Mac “craved importance: the ability to show depth, to cement a legacy.”
Clancy points to the differences in Mac’s earlier work to his most recent album, Swimming, to show that the Pittsburgher was committed to honing his craft and becoming a better artist through the years, crediting Mac’s improvement to his relationship with the studio. “The studio was his safe place and it’s where his talent grew, to the point where he was able to make Swimming, a timeless, intimate album he was incredibly proud of.”
Mac Miller died from a drug overdose early in September, but Clancy says that before that, the rapper seemed in good health and spirits, saying that two days before he passed, “He was very open about his struggles throughout his career, but he had been fully focused and engaged. He knew the progress he had made, battling his internal dialogue – it wasn’t easy, but he was doing it and feeling the rewards. A few days before, he was sending Kelly [Clancy, Christian’s wife and business partner] and me workout videos of himself alongside Rocky-themed music. He was happy and in as good a mental state as he had been since we’d known him.”
Among the work Mac was doing when he died, he was preparing to go on tour with Thundercat and JID, and was excited about sharing his music with a live band. Clancy says that Mac’s lasting legacy is the work he did helping other artists such as Vince Staples, Kendrick Lamar, and SZA fulfill their own dreams while living “focusing on similarities rather than differences.”
