Posted at 11:10h
in
Features,
Music
Emerging Pittsburgh Hip Hop artist and the newest signee to the house that homes Wiz Khalifa (Rostrum Records), 19-year old Mac Miller has been on a steady rise over the last few years; from doling out mixtapes whilst in high school - the first of which was released at the early age of 15 back when he was known as ‘Easy Mac’ (2007’s But My Mackin Ain’t Easy) - and garnering over 19 million views on his YouTube page in little under two years; to establishing himself as one of the premiere faces at the forefront of Pittsburgh’s fast-rising Hip Hop scene along with new label-mate Wiz Khalifa.
After recently graduating from high school last Spring,
Mac Miller has seen his stock rise exponentially through the roof not only in his home town Pittsburgh and all over the internet, but also in the overall landscape of American Hip Hop music with the release of his major mixtape debut, the critically-acclaimed
K.I.D.S (Kicking Incredibly Dope Sh*t) and his two-legged Nationwide ‘Incredibly Dope’ tour which sees the Rostrum Records-signee perform in over thirty five cities all across North America.
Ask any artist their creative process and they will convey a special story. Whether it's stuffing the studio with yes-men, relocating to Hawaii or making sure they’re high on acid; every practitioner has a unique way of creating art. Mac Miller's story involves plenty of muted throwback '80s films and wildlife documentaries. Quite an interesting process, right? Let me explain.
In the past four years a lot has changed for Mac. Between his own MTV reality show, moving from Pittsburgh to LA and acquiring a bunch of new rap friends, he managed to produce the first independent number one album in 15 years. But if we're on the subject of change I suppose we better talk about the biggest change of all; Mac Miller's sophomore record Watching Movies With The Sound Off.
The Idea of Beautiful. You could write an entire essay on such an intriguing matter. Snow Hill, North Carolina native Rapsody did write an essay on the topic but did it in the musical form. In her debut LP, Rap decided to take all that she learned from her previous three projects in which she explored different avenues and combine into a rare introspective effort. Rapsody’s ode to cultural assent and narration of her own heartbreak transforms The Idea of Beautiful from complex portrayal to personal abstraction and human-dignifying advancement. 
With the subcategory of 'teen rap' now bursting with numerous young talents, the question now remains as to which of the 21-and-under prodigies has the potential to go beyond their adolescent fanbase and appeal to the grown folk. Already making huge movements for a youngster who only graduated from High school not too long ago Pittsburgh's Mac Miller has already shown promise, in that his current musical teen fodder still carries enough weight for older heads to dig. 
The terms grafting, grinding and so on are so often thrown about in Hip Hop because anyone refusing to put in the work eventually falls far behind in the never ending race to remain relevant in the scene. Fortunately for respected DJ, Producer, label CEO and radio host Statik Selektah his non-stop efforts have secured his place amongst the small group of respected names across Hip Hop's wider market. From working with long term partner Termanology to hosting his own show on Shade 45, the East Coast resident has proven to be one of the more adequate jack-of-all-trades individuals in the genre. Still finding time to hit the studio, Population Control is the fifth solo release from Statik, where the now recognisable boom bap, claps and soul flavours of the beatsmith should be done justice by the various spitters on hand to bless each track.
As with any XXL Freshman list, there will be a few unfamiliar names to fans and readers of the music and culture magazine. Hence it makes for a perfect opportunity for Freshman ‘11 inductee