Kyla Hubbard 
On September 7th, it was confirmed that Mac Miller died early that morning of an apparent drug overdose. He was only 26 years old. The young rapper had his start at the age of 19 with the release of his debut album, Blue Slide Park, which became the first independent debut album to reach the top of the Billboard in 16 years. Success was like his middle name, and he continued to reach top five on the charts with his following three albums. His final album, Swimming, was released on August 3rd and it debuted at number three. Miller was a wonderful artist, and he openly expressed his challenges with drug abuse through his music. It’s so sad to see that he lost this long battle that he was openly fighting.
Miller’s sudden death has left the music community stunned, and several close friends and artists have spoken out about it. Kind words have been said about how genuinely nice Miller was, and how his support was vital in launching and improving their careers.
Chance the Rapper reminisced on how Mac Miller helped kickstart his career:
I dont know what to say Mac Miller took me on my second tour ever. But beyond helping me launch my career he was one of the sweetest guys I ever knew. Great man. I loved him for real. Im completely broken. God bless him.
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) September 7, 2018
SZA expressed her heartfelt appreciation for the rapper:
J.Cole confronted the drug abuse problem in the rap community after acknowledging Miller:
This is a message for anybody in this game that’s going through something. If you don’t feel right, if you feel you have a substance problem, if you need a ear to vent to. If you uncomfortable talking to people around you. Please reach out to me.
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) September 7, 2018
Longtime ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande finally broke her silence after receiving loads of backlash claiming Mac Miller’s death was her fault:
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On his most recent album, Swimming, Miller raps, “Now I’m in the clouds, come down when I run out of jet fuel, but I never run out of jet fuel.” Mac you will never run out of jet fuel now. Your mark will be left in the sky for years to come, and just to think you were only supposed to be another corny white kid trying to get into the rap game. Thank you, Malcolm McCormick, for making music that made an impact.
By Kyla Hubbard, Junior, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
Instagram: @kyy.r
