Andrew Wessel | Herald Contributor 

The famed Pennsylvania-born rapper, singer and record producer, Mac Miller, has unfortunately passed away from a drug overdose at the age of 26. It is always sad to see someone so young with so much talent leave us before his or her time.

Miller had just released his fifth studio album, “Swimming,” in the beginning of August and had planned a fall tour across North America to celebrate its release. 

Mac Miller started rapping when he was just 14 years old and always wanted to become a singer. He was signed by Rostrum Records at age 18 in 2010. Miller then released his first studio EP titled “On and On and Beyond” in March 2011. In total, Miller released 12 mixtapes, 31 singles, two EPs, one live album and five studio albums over the course of his career.

I never really listened to his music before now. However, I understand why a vast amount of people were devastated by his death. Mac Miller was one of the most talented rappers of the current generation of musicians.

One song that stuck out to me was “What’s the Use?” The song has a driving bass that makes it easy to dance to and the synths in the background give it a spacey, retro vibe. The lyrics are presented softly and calmly. It seems Miller was very relaxed when recording vocals in the studio.