After spending years constantly performing shows around the world and finding himself between record labels, Miller came down with a severe case of burnout and wanted nothing more than to isolate and create.įaces was born out of a swirl of creative chaos that reflected Miller’s internal turbulence and burning creative drive. Reactions to Watching Movies were incredibly strong, with his financial success seeing no sign of slowing down however, the stress of fame weighed heavily on him. He drastically altered his sound by introducing psychedelic elements and unique production work, which he had done primarily himself. Miller’s follow-up album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off in 2013, was a sonic departure from the “frat boy” rap of his early career.

He followed that success with his debut album Blue Slide Park in 2011, which was at the time the first independent album in sixteen years to go No. Miller broke into the mainstream with his mixtape K.I.D.S. What is Faces? After the monumental success of his first two albums and the intense pressure that they placed upon him, Faces is Miller returning to his sacred space of music. Years after Miller’s passing, Faces finds a brand new emotional context and is perhaps Miller’s defining piece of work.

It is the result of burnout and desperate artistic self-renaissance. It is messy, imperfect, and a critical shifting point in Miller’s career as he reinvents himself and his sound. Since then, I have not been able to stop listening to it.įaces is a challenging album to talk about. It is embellished with a unique blend of intricate sounds and complicated lyrics that leave a haunting impression. The record, Miller’s eleventh and final mixtape, is conflicting, vibrant, and deeply personal. On October 13, Miller’s estate re-released his beloved 2014 mixtape Faces, now available for the first time on streaming services and vinyl. The rapper, producer, and multi-instrumentalist was known for his ventures into unique, experimental territory creating one-of-a-kind sounding music. When Mac Miller passed away in September 2018, hip-hop lost one of the most exciting, dynamic, and talented musicians working in the genre.

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