Mac Miller’s Life and Music: Listen to Podcast Detailing Rapper’s Career

The latest episode of the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast breaks down the life and music of Mac Miller, who died at the age of 26 on September 7th. To hear the episode, press play below or download and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.

In the episode, Brendan Klinkenberg and Brittany Spanos join host Brian Hiatt to trace Miller’s impressive evolution over his entire, too-short career: Miller’s 2011 debut, Blue Slide Park, cast him as a frat-rapper, detested by critics but beloved by a certain set of fans. But Miller, also a multi-instrumentalist and producer, steadily improved from there, culminating in his musically rich, emotionally fragile 2018 release Swimming — and along the way, he made fans and friends among hip-hop’s elite, from Jay-Z to Vince Staples. The episode also includes audio from Miller’s 2016  interview with Rolling Stone, in which he talked about trying to stay sober, learning to be comfortable with his singing voice, and receiving guidance from Rick Rubin. The panel concludes by digging into Spanos’ essay on the wildly misguided fans who tried to cast blame on Miller’s ex-girlfriend, Ariana Grande.

Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on iTunes or Spotify, and tune in Fridays at 1 p.m. ET to hear the show broadcast live on Sirius XM’s Volume, channel 106.