THE BOOK OF MAC: Remembering Mac Miller
by Donna Claire Chesman
An album-by-album celebration of the life and music of Mac Miller through oral histories, intimate reflections, and critical examinations of his enduring work.
Following Mac Miller’s tragic passing in 2018, Donna-Claire Chesman dedicated a year to chronicling his work through the unique lens of her relationship to the music and Mac’s singular relationship to his fans. Like many who’d been following him since he’d started releasing mixtapes at eighteen years old, she felt as if she’d come of age alongside the rapidly evolving artist, with his music being crucial to her personal development.
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Description
An album-by-album celebration of the life and music of Mac Miller through oral histories, intimate reflections, and critical examinations of his enduring work.
“One of my most vivid memories of him is the way he would look at you while he was playing you a song. He tried to look you right in the eyes to see how you were feeling about it.” —Will Kalson, friend and first manager
Following Mac Miller’s tragic passing in 2018, Donna-Claire Chesman dedicated a year to chronicling his work through the unique lens of her relationship to the music and Mac’s singular relationship to his fans. Like many who’d been following him since he’d started releasing mixtapes at eighteen years old, she felt as if she’d come of age alongside the rapidly evolving artist, with his music being crucial to her personal development.
“I want people to remember his humanity as they’re listening to the music, to realize how much bravery and courage it takes to be that honest, be that self-aware, and be that real about things going on internally. He let us witness that entire journey. He never hid that.” —Kehlani, friend and musician.
The project evolved to include intimate interviews with many of Mac’s closest friends and collaborators, from his Most Dope Family in Pittsburgh to the producers and musicians who assisted him in making his everlasting music, including Big Jerm, Rex Arrow, Wiz Khalifa, Benjy Grinberg, Just Blaze, Josh Berg, Syd, Thundercat, and more. These voices, along with the author’s commentary, provide a vivid and poignant portrait of this astonishing artist—one who had just released a series of increasingly complex albums, demonstrating what a musical force he was and how heartbreaking it was to lose him.
“As I’m reading the lyrics, it’s crazy. It’s him telling us that he hopes we can always respect him. I feel like this is a message from him, spiritually. A lot of the time, his music was like little letters and messages to his friends, family, and people he loved, to remind them of who he really was.” —Quentin Cuff, best friend and tour manager.
About The Author
Donna-Claire Chesman is a music writer with a deep passion for hip- hop, her pet parrot, and Mac Miller. Currently residing in Philadelphia, Chesman is the Editorial Director of Audiomack by day, and spends her evenings reading with her pet cats.
The Mac Miller Fund
A portion of the proceeds from this book will go directly to the Mac Miller Legacy Fund.
The Mac Miller Fund supports young musicians with resources to help realize their full potential through exploration, expression and community.
Born Malcolm McCormick, Mac Miller was an acclaimed musician and native of the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh. A gifted and self-taught musician, McCormick began recording his own music at age fifteen, regularly performing at the Shadow Lounge in East Liberty and other venues around Pittsburgh. By eighteen, he released his breakout mixtape K.I.D.S., before going on to release five studio albums, including his chart-topping, Pittsburgh-referencing Blue Slide Park in 2011.
Though unquestionably a formidable creative force that achieved monumental success both critically and commercially in his own career, Miller’s legacy might be most defined by his outsized charisma, selflessness and commitment to community-building. From his early days in Pittsburgh to the artistic community that he later fostered in Los Angeles, Miller was endless in the time, energy and effort that he gave to others—not just for their own sake, but for the sake of creating truly beautiful art for the world.
To carry on Miller’s artistic and creative legacy, The Mac Miller Fund supports programming, resources and opportunities to youth from underserved communities, helping them recognize their full potential through exploration in the arts and community building. Additionally, the fund may support organizations that identify and address the problems of substance abuse in the music industry and that directly assist youth aged twenty-seven and under with all stages of addiction-recovery treatment and post-treatment services.
