Remembering Mac Miller: the rapper's rapper who embodied hip hop

By DJ Semtex, 12 September 2018

Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller passed away last week at the age of 26. 1Xtra's DJ Semtex followed the star's career from the very beginning, interviewing the artist on numerous occasions and hosting Miller for two standout freestyles. Here, Semtex explains what made Mac such a great performer and a special presence in hip hop culture.

The first time I heard Mac Miller was his 2010 track Nikes on My Feet. What I initially loved about it was the fact that it sampled Nas' song The World Is Yours. Beyond that though, it felt like a modern take on a classic era of hip hop. I came through on 90s hip hop and it was very reminiscent of that time; done very well with a fresh take on it. I was a fan instantly.

When I checked the rest of Mac’s K.I.D.S. mixtape, released online for free in August 2010, I thought it was a really dope project. It had a sort of innocence, a raw hip hop feel that was appealing to me. Mac’s presence was felt straight away.

I first met Mac at one of his early UK shows at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London during September 2011. It was sold-out and I interviewed Mac before the show. He was so enthusiastic, down to earth, humble and funny; a great person as well as an amazing artist.

During his career, Mac did two freestyles for me at 1Xtra - one in May 2012 and another in June 2013. The first was special because I purposely chose instrumentals that I knew he would like, and Mac’s performance was more intense and animated as a response to this. Then during the second freestyle, he rapped for nearly eight minutes. There was a moment during it where Mac tripped up a little and then corrected himself mid-flow and that’s a testament to his skill as an articulate lyricist to be able to adjust what he’s doing and flip it so he’s back on track and sounding on point. I think the second one was my favourite of the two. Amazing moments like that are why I first got into hip hop.

Mac and I stayed in touch over the years. He always reached out whenever he was in the country, regardless of whether he was promoting an album or not. I guess you could say that we became friends. The artist and DJ dynamic is complicated because, for me at least, I’m almost like a superfan - but a very privileged one in that I get to speak to my favourite artists. Sometimes you forget that you’re actually friends with the artists that you meet. There’s a bond you have by being brought together through music.

Everyone who ever met Mac has a great Mac Miller story to tell. For me, it’s when I was DJing on tour with Nas. We were at a festival in Switzerland and Mac was backstage. At the time, I was always on standby to do interviews. I was speaking to Mac and he said, ‘Look, Sem, we don’t have to do an interview every time we connect. I’m cool with you, I like you, we can just chill. When we get back to London, we can do an interview and a freestyle then.’ It was advice that really stuck with me.

I feel as an artist, Mac grew over the course of his career. He definitely developed in terms of his musicianship, he was playing different instruments and working with notable musicians during the last few years. He wasn’t just a guy that sampled beats and rapped over them. He was becoming a fully-fledged musician and well-rounded artist. Collaborators like Anderson .Paak and The Internet, who he toured with, saw and recognised that in Mac.

You could say that Mac was something of a rapper’s rapper: JAY-Ztweeted about how great he was, Kendrick's TDE camp worked with him, and you can’t be anywhere near those guys unless you’re an amazing lyricist. And he was; his music and what he did for hip hop will last the test of time.

Childish Gambino recently said that he and Mac were “both internet music kids”, and he’s right. I think streaming has made music more of an opening playing field these days and people like Miller and Gambino, as well as Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa, came through during the blog era, which was a really cool time for hip hop. It was almost like a rejection of the mainstream. Before then, you had to play the media game. But that all changed during the blog era, artists could make it on their own and Mac and his peers definitely paved the way for the Soundcloud rappers of today.

For people who have never heard Mac’s music before, listen to his K.I.D.S. project, that was a pivotal moment and a great entry point to where it all started in terms of what he represented as an artist.

Mac Miller’s overall legacy was as a raw free spirit that embodied hip hop culture. There are not many rappers that can freestyle over any beat. Some artists choose to freestyle over their own instrumentals for three minutes, but Mac could keep going. I could throw any track on and he’d rap over it effortlessly. That’s raw talent and what hip hop is all about.

• 1Xtra's DJ Target paid tribute to Mac Miller by playing his five favourite tracks by the rapper. Listen in the clip below.

• Hear Mac Miller's 2012 Semtex freestyle[Contains language which some may find offensive]
• Listen to Mac Miller's 2013 freestyle for Semtex[Contains language which some may find offensive]
• Tune in to DJ Semtex on 1Xtra every Friday night from 9pm.

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