Top 5: Mac Miller’s five best songs you might not know
(Credit: Mac Miller)

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Top 5: Mac Miller's five best songs you might not know

Mac Miller is one of the most influential rappers of his generation, and he was taken from us far too young. Unfortunately, some of the deepest appreciation for his talents came after he was gone. His posthumous album Circles soared to major successes, going gold and receiving critical acclaim, even after a Grammy snub.

However, Circles and some of his darker posthumous releases aren’t the only places where we can appreciate his artistry and range. Mac Miller has a vast discography of hits and deep cuts, with so many new songs to be discovered that it can sometimes feel like he’s still around.

What we can learn when we dig into his discography is that his progression is much more complex than the commonly believed sentiment of “he used to be playful and goofy, but with age got darker and more serious.” In fact, there are plenty of nods in both directions, especially when it comes to mixtapes and unreleased demos.

If you want a little bit more of your favourite rapper from the ‘Burg, there might be a few songs left that you’ve yet to discover. 

Mac Miller’s five best songs you might not know:

5. ‘Alarm’

This lo-fi-driven song that shows off his classic tonality and flow is still unreleased, but it was written during his GO:OD AM era. It definitely fits in with his music of that time, with an upbeat yet chilled-out pace.

Even though his verses are fantastic and show off his rap skills, this song does also feature a tease of his singing voice on the chorus, which is just as unique as his spoken voice.

4. ‘2009’

‘2009’ is another song where we can begin to see some of his melodic flow. Even though he doesn’t actually sing on this track, there’s a pitch in his rapping that lends itself to the idea. This song is a bit sadder and more nostalgic than some of his other songs that came before it, but it contains a beauty that can stop you in your tracks.

I find that this is one of his more unappreciated songs, although it did start garnering attention after he performed it with a live string section at his NPR Tiny Desk Concert.

3. ‘Inside Outside’

Although Faces was released to streaming platforms in 2021, it was originally put out as a mixtape back in 2014, leaving it relatively unknown to those outside of his devoted fanbase. And it’s a shame, considering just how great it is. ‘Inside Outside’ is a super-cool, slow-flowing song with a fantastic melody behind it.

If you haven’t gotten the chance to really listen to Faces yet, this will likely be one of the first to make it onto your repeat playlist.

2. ‘Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza’

Again, plenty of people know Miller’s 2010 mixtape K.I.D.S. by heart, but for those who weren’t around in the early days of its popularity, there tend to be a few hits that prevail—usually ‘The Spins’ and ‘Senior Skip Day’, I find. 

It genuinely surprised me to find out that there are a lot of people who don’t sing along the minute this song comes on. This is the best of baby Mac in so many ways. There’s something giddy and confident in his voice as he smoothly rolls out the unforgettable, “Ain’t never seen a young rapper like moi.” No, Mac, we most certainly haven’t.

1. ‘Love Lost’ 

This is one of his most popular unreleased songs, and it’s easy to see why. There’s an almost old-school beat to it, but he does it in his own way, and it comes across in this danceable, light, unique way that makes you want to hit repeat.

This song feels like something you’d throw on as you drive to the beach with your friends or push around at the skatepark and forget the worries of the world. Maybe one day it’ll make its way to the streaming platforms.