Stay Woke

For Mac Miller, success was a dream that turned into a nightmare. Now, he's turned it into a surprising new album.

The concept of Mac Miller's major label debut, GO:OD AM, is easy enough to grasp. "I know it's been a minute since I've been awake," he mutters on the album's opening track, reintroducing himself to a world that's only seen glimpses of the 23-year-old rapper since his last release two years ago. But to fully understand the root of GO:OD AM, you have to know the dream Miller has awoken from.

After being hoisted into the mainstream on the strength of 2011's Blue Slide Park—the first independently distributed debut album to top U.S. Billboard charts since 1995—the Pittsburgh native moved to Los Angeles, bought a mansion and began to indulge in the high life. His childhood friends moved out to live rent-free, he built an in-house studio in the property's pool shack, and invited an MTV camera crew to document the debauchery for a reality TV show.

In L.A., Miller became increasingly reclusive, staying inside and conducting marathon studio sessions. Psychedelics became his muse, and he began to push the boundaries of his music. On his sophomore album, Watching Movies With the Sound Off, Miller revealed himself to be an ambitious producer. No longer concerned with crafting radio-ready hooks, his creative reach expanded far beyond his social circle, as he collaborated with the likes of Pharrell Williams, Flying Lotus, Chuck Inglish, Clams Casino and Earl Sweatshirt.

Eventually, the opulence surrounding Miller began to take a toll on his health and relationships. He offered a kaleidoscopic look into his life on the daring, brooding 2014 mixtape Faces: "Doing drugs is just a war with boredom, but they sure to get me," he raps at one point. He moved to Brooklyn, searching for new energy.

"It was all a little far from reality," Miller says of his time in L.A. "I'm kind of just taking a little break and living a little more regular lifestyle. Health is important, and having a grasp on reality is very important."

That newly sober outlook is reflected on GO:OD AM. Released in September, it is Miller's most cohesive project to date. It's an ocean of an album, weaving tales of drug addiction with stories about youthful recklessness. It's his first project after signing a multimillion-dollar contract with Warner Bros. last year—a deal that means wider distribution more than an artistic shift. "Signing to a major has had no effects on anything I've done at all," he says. "It's literally the same exact shit we've always done."

Indeed, GO:OD AM retains the roster that's been with Miller since the beginning, including Eric Dan and Jeremy "Big Jerm" Kulousek of Pittsburg production duo ID Labs, and longtime collaborator Tree Jay is still directing the music videos. "It was really important for my major debut to be with the people I've always been with," Miller says. But all those years of experimenting in the studio haven't left him. "It was really important to start pushing the boundaries and limits of what I could do creatively—what I could pull off," he says.

One of Miller's most cherished contacts from his years on the West Coast is bassist Stephen Bruner, also known as Thundercat. He shows up on two of GO:OD AM's most powerful tracks: "Brand Name" and "Break the Law." "Whenever I get to work with Thundercat, we always end up making something outside of hip-hop," Miller says. "He speaks music better than he speaks English."

There's less keeping Miller up at night these days. Living in New York, surrounded by friends and closer to family, he says he is in his most supportive environment in years. He's also now backed by a one of the nation's largest, most influential record labels, and equipped with the deepest contact list of potential collaborators of his career. But that doesn't mean he's comfortable. "I don't really think I'll ever be done exploring or experimenting by any means," Miller says. MATTHEW SCHONFELD.

SEE IT: Mac Miller plays Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., with Goldlink, Domo and Alexander Spit, on Wednesday, Nov. 11. 8 pm. Sold out. All ages.

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