Credit: Alamy

Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller worked with many of his heroes throughout his unfortunate short career, including Lil Wayne and Pharrell, and, despite never having an official collaboration, Snoop Dogg actually worked on the final album to be released during his lifetime.

Eazy Mac was constantly evolving from album to album, and Swimming showcased the pinnacle of him. He got to a point in his career where he knew what he wanted and had collaborative friends whom he could rely on to elevate his sound. One of the most memorable songs of his career quietly featured an appearance from Snoop.

The third track on Swimming, the funky ‘What’s the Use?’, was produced by Pomo and Dâm-Funk and served as the third single. The song revolves around an exquisite bass line provided by Thundercat, who miraculously recorded it in one take. No pointers, no requests, he simply picked up the guitar and what you hear on the studio version is what he came up with on the spot.

“Pomo is the fucking man,” Mac told Apple Music, “So, what we did differently, he came over, we’re just jamming.., he makes my chords better, whatever, however it happened. We actually put it to the side, and then Thundercat came over that night. I was like, ‘Wait, can you try a bass line?’ Swear to God, that was the first thing he played… Syd did a background vocal part, and so did Snoop.”

Snoop provides additional vocals throughout the track. You can hear him during the chorus, but his most prominent moment is at the end of the song. In the outro, he raps, “You can love it, it just freaks me out”. However, the finished product is far from the only vocals Snoop sent over to him.

Instead of a few words, Snoop recorded a whole bunch of lines for him to use. “Oh dude, the stuff Snoop sent me was so amazing,” Mac said, “He talks a bunch of shit at the end that I didn’t end up keeping, but I have to listen to… It’s just beautiful, poetic, shit talking. So, now I have that. And also, dude, he just floats.”

While the song has a fun feel to it, it actually touches on Mac’s difficult relationship with alcohol and drugs, which ultimately took his life. Despite the serious nature of the lyrics, he was determined to make something people could dance to. Needless to say, he did just that, and continues to overlook the parties spinning along to his tunes, and it’s just him “in a funky time of life”.