Watch Kendrick Lamar Pay Tribute to Mac Miller
On Wednesday, Complex‘s Open Late With Peter Rosenberg paid tribute to the late Mac Miller. In a clip from the program. Kendrick Lamar spoke fondly of his friend’s great sense of humor, saying that he “told jokes all night.” He also reminisced about running jokes they shared.
“He was just so quick and just so clever and it just made my day,” Lamar said about Miller’s quick wit. “And all in all that’s the type of person he was—just a good dude. Always made you feel good, just a great energy to have around.”
Lamar also spoke about Miller’s dedication to musical craft. “He’d pull up to the studio, give honest opinions. I’d play some music, he’d say, ‘I like that. You should do something right here.’ Just whatever, man, and he was just true and selfless about it. Great musician. Great writer.”
“Just always had a smile on his face, and that’s something that I commend. No matter what he was going through, he didn’t make you feel sorry for him, you know? He was strong about it – always kept a smile on his face because he wanted you to smile, too,” Lamar continued. “And that’s just something I always loved, you know, no matter whatever personal issues, he gave you that energy. He gave you that energy. It wasn’t no misery loves company with him, you know? He showed a smile and then you gave that smile right back. It made you feel good. So forever we’re gonna remember the life and we’re gonna remember that smile. Celebrate Mac Miller. Love.”
Following Lamar’s homage, Macklemore also shared one of his memory’s of Miller. He recalled a time he visited Miller while he was filming his MTV reality show, where it was an “insane” environment, with lots of chaos happening around them. “And Mac would like sit down, make a beat, turn around, get in the conversation for a second, go record himself in the booth, come back, hop in the combo, make a beat – and he just did this for hours,” Macklemore said of Miller’s focus. “He just kept going with the art, that was what he lived, what he breathed, what he just did nonstop.”
“And I think it was a testament to the art that he put out into the world, like he was a true creative in that sense. He was music, he breathed music,” Macklemore added, explaining that Miller’s devotion to his art served as an inspiration. “And you could tell by the way that the songs turned out, the way that the albums turned out, he was that dude who sacrificed everything for his craft and kept going.”
The full episode includes tributes from Ty Dolla $ign, Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Xan and others.