Most Dope

January 31, 2022
In this engrossing debut, journalist Cantor unpacks the complex legacy of Mac Miller (1992–2018), “a rapper who spent his life... explor the space between his own madness and genius.” Born Malcolm McCormick in Pittsburgh, Pa., Miller grew up in a house “full of art and music.” By his teens, he was rapping at his Jewish summer camp’s Shabbat Concerts and, in 2008, he released his first album with his hip-hop group, Ill Spoken. After going solo under the moniker “Mac Miller” (Miller was a family name), his freestyling prowess got him signed to the indie label Rostrum Records. Cantor briskly recounts how this catapulted Miller from Pittsburgh’s underground rap scene to becoming an international sensation, before inking a $10-million deal with Warner Bros. in 2015, and releasing “the best album of his career” with 2018’s Swimming. While he extols Miller’s outsize talents, Cantor also candidly reckons with the rapper’s inner demons: his fame, for one, plagued him, and while “his openness about his battle with substance abuse endeared him to many,” it was Miller’s addiction that led to his fatal accidental overdose. In doing so, Cantor offers a raw look at the struggles that fueled Miller’s most enduring creations. Fans won’t want to miss this.

February 4, 2022

Literary and media critic Cantor wrote this first biography of rap legend Mac Miller (1992-2018) without the participation of Miller's family and estate but manages to provide a respectful and moving account of Miller's career and complicated life. Raised in affluence, Miller knew by age 15 that he wanted to be a rapper. An unabashed self-promoter, he mastered social media (he was one of the first to use Twitter). Miller wanted his music to reflect the concerns of everyday kids, and his songs were a mixed bag of sentimentality and crassness, as he wrote about his mother, his grandparents' love story, and the wealth of Donald Trump. Cantor touches on Miller's brief reality show on MTV, his romantic relationship with Ariana Grande, his struggles with addiction and visits to rehab, and his death at 26 due to an overdose of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol, but the focus is on Miller's development as an artist and the relationships that helped his career evolve. VERDICT While Cantor relies heavily on previously published interviews, he does provide fresh insights from Miller's professional acquaintances, and the result is an honest, cautionary tale about a troubled musician gone too soon.--Lisa Henry

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