Mac Miller’s second posthumous album ‘Balloonerism’ sees the late rapper get deep about love and death.
The estate of the star – who tragically died at the age of 26 of an accidental overdose in 2018 – has dropped the collection made around the same time as his 2014 mixtape ‘Faces’, featuring a rare appearance from his alter-ego Delusional Thomas on the track ‘Transformations’ and SZA on ‘DJ’s Chord Organ’.
Throughout the record, Mac tackles deep thoughts around death, which are even more poignant since he’s no longer here.
On the track ‘Rick’s Piano’, which features studio wizard Rick Rubin – who worked with the artist on his 2018 album ‘Swimming’ – on the keys, he raps: “F*** the future … What does death feel like?/ I wonder what death feels like?”
On the standout track, ‘5 Dollar Pony Rides’, he tells a lover: “Your daddy shoulda got you that pony/Let me give you what you want.”
The album is accompanied by an animated short film helmed by Samuel Jerome Mason, which was released in cinemas before the record’s release and is available on Prime Video.
Songs from the album had leaked online over the years, but as it was such an “important” project for Mac, his family felt he would have wanted the official record to be available to fans.
His estate said in a statement about the collection: “We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist.
“Given that unofficial versions of the album have circulated online for years and that releasing ‘Balloonerism’ was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world.”
The LP was teased in a trailer that aired during Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles in November.
A painting of Mac by artist Alim Smith was shown alongside a series of visuals.
His family previously shared his album ‘Circles’ in 2020, which was intended to be a companion record to his last studio album ‘Swimming’.
At the time, they admitted that deciding to release the work had been a tough decision.
They explained in a post on his Instagram page: “This is a complicated process that has no right answer. No clear path. We simply know that it was important to Malcolm for the world to hear it. One of the most difficult decisions in the process is how best to let people know about it – how to communicate meaningfully while keeping sacred what should be kept sacred. So this will be the only post on any of his channels. Information regarding this release, his charity, and Malcolm himself will be found at @92tilinfinity.
“Thank you to all the fans who’ve supported him unconditionally through the years. We miss him. We are left to imagine where Malcolm was going and to appreciate where he was. We hope you take the time to listen. The look on his face when everyone was listening said it all.
“With humility and gratitude. Malcolm’s family (sic)”