Balloonerism

the take

To be honest, I haven't listened to Mac Miller's posthumous work. I haven't brought myself to be able to listen to "Circles" at all because his death hit me a bit deeper than any other rappers' deaths. So me listening to "Balloonerism", I was afraid that this album wouldn't live up to Mac's projects he released while he was here, even with Mac Miller fans saying the original leaked version of this album being amazing. As a project that was recorded over a decade ago, it's crazy how this doesn't sound dated at all, even with the recent streaming release. It's just that fucking amazing, really no other way to put it. The production on here is so smooth to where it compliments Mac Miller's intended vision well. And Mac himself, of course, did an amazing job at conveying his thoughts onto each record, either lyrically or musically. Throughout the project, it's as if Mac Miller is front and center, talking to our souls about his soul and what's running through his mind, with the background music helping get his thoughts across without overpowering him. This sounds like an alternate version of his mixtape "Faces" to me, which is a good thing because I still have that project among my top favorite Mac projects. I will give credit to Mac Miller's estate for not messing up posthumous releases and staying true to Mac's bodies of work as close as they can and not disappointing us fans. If "Balloonerism" is amazing (which it is, duh), maybe I can finally have the willpower to give "Circles" a chance.