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Mac Miller's perfect career trajectory

7/28/2016

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By Trey Alessio
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CREDIT: HotNewHipHop
When Mac Miller released his breakout mixtape, “K.I.D.S.” back on August 13, 2010, I was a sophomore in high school—probably grinding, trying to keep my GPA up, hanging out with friends or training for football or baseball. I didn’t really party at all in high school—I was too busy focusing on school and sports—but I think I wanted my music to give me that illusion. My favorite kind of rap music during that part of my life was either feel-good turn up music or jaw-dropping bars.

Back then, Lil Wayne was still in his prime, Drake had just put out his debut album, “Thank Me Later,” Eminem and Rihanna’s single, “Love the Way You Lie” was dominating the charts and Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller were just starting to make it onto the rap scene.

I was a little late to the Mac Miller party. “K.I.D.S.” dropped and he was starting to get a little buzz in rap game. I think a friend of mine showed me the song, “Knock Knock.” I remember hearing the first “Dum, da dum,” and being hooked. Mac’s first words on the song were, “This is gonna feel real good, alright?” And that’s exactly how the song felt. It was such a fun, feel-good song, and I remember immediately putting a thumb in the air and jamming out. Hardcore hip-hop heads had been vibing to his music for a few months before I hopped on the bandwagon—but I’m glad I did.

Mac Miller’s career trajectory sort of mirrors my rap intellect and musical preferences as a hip-hop fan. 

“K.I.D.S.” came out in 2010, and I was in the mood for feel-good music. “Best Day Ever” came out on March 11, 2011. At that point, I was still in high school, looking for any piece of music that would put a smile on my face. I remember watching Mac premiere “Best Day Ever” on Ustream—the live-streaming service that was practically brand new at the time. I remember being enthralled with the opening song on “Best Day Ever.” The words, “No matter where life takes me, find me with a smile. / Pursuit to be happy, only laughing like a child. / I never thought life would be this sweet. It got me cheesing from cheek to cheek,” resonated with me and literally put a smile on my face every time I listened to the song. 

In November of 2011, Mac Miller released his debut album, “Blue Slide Park.” While it was met with mixed reviews—Metacritic gave it a 58 out of 100 and Pitchfork gave it 1 out of 10 rating—the album made it to No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart. According to MTV, that’s something an independent artist’s debut hadn’t done since Tha Dogg Pound’s “Dogg Food” in 1995. “Blue Slide Park” was still very much a “turn up,” “feel good” project as it was accompanied by its lead singles “Frick Park Market,” “Smile Back” and “Party on Fifth Ave.”
In 2012, Mac Miller switched up his sound quite a bit. On “Macadelic,” Mac used a trippy, drug-infested, sexually charged sound. It was a very dark mixtape compared to Mac’s previous efforts, and with the different tone, came more lyricism. On XXL’s review of “Blue Slide Park,” it said, “Mac Miller left room to evolve.” That’s exactly what he started to do with “Macadelic.” It was apparent on songs like “Fight the Feeling” and “The Question,” which featured Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne, respectively. At this point in my life, I was starting to get into a more conscious style of rap. I started to enjoy less turn up and more lyricism and storytelling. I enjoyed the variety of sounds from the lead single, “Loud,” to the thought-provoking song, “Clarity.”

Mac Miller didn’t stop after “Macadelic.” He came right back with his “Watching Movies With the Sound Off” album. Again, this was a very dark, moody album with a lot of the same sounds that were used on “Macadelic.” It was very much another “conscious rap” project. He even says on “O.K.”—one of the few upbeat, fun songs—“album filled with all sad songs, but this the one that I can laugh on.” At this point, I started college and I really started veering away from strictly club bangers. I enjoyed songs and albums that told stories. I liked music and lyrics that made me think. As Mac became a seasoned rapper in the industry, I became more of a seasoned rap fan, and “Watching Movies With the Sound Off” was definitely an album that made you take the time to realize what the lyrics were saying. Mac touched on a lot of deep topics, and by this time in my life, I really enjoyed that kind of music. “Watching Movies With the Sound Off” reached No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Metacritic gave the album a 73 out of 100, Pitchfork gave it a 7 out of 10 and XXL gave it a 4 out of 5 rating—still with room to grow.

Well, Mac Miller stuck with the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” On May 11, 2014, Mac dropped a mixtape entitled, “Faces.” This mixtape included a star-studded cast of features and producers and stuck to Mac’s trippy vibes—maybe even more so than any of his previous projects. The mixtape consisted of 24 songs with dark, trippy lyricism. It seemed like Mac Miller had found a lane and was staying the course. As a rap fan, I enjoyed the lyricism and I liked how Mac pushed the boundaries. There were some songs like “Inside Outside” and “Colors and Shapes” that were totally off the wall, but just made for beautiful music. I think that’s what drew me into it—the difference in sound. 
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CREDIT: HotNewHipHop
And then September 18, 2015 rolled around and Mac Miller dropped his album, “GO:OD AM.” In my opinion, this album was Mac Miller’s best because of the versatility shown throughout the project. The production was great. The cohesiveness was great. The music was great. It just seemed like Mac had finally honed his sound perfectly. There were songs like “100 Grandkids” where it was a hybrid between a conscious and a turn up record and then there were songs like “Perfect Circle/God Speed” that were completely honest and told a great story. I thought it was Mac Miller’s perfect project.
On July 28, 2016, Mac Miller released a brand new single in “Dang!” featuring the über-talented Anderson .Paak via Beats 1 Radio. It had a definite summer vibe to it, but I loved it. It’s one of those songs that makes you want to get up and dance. Along with the new single, he announced that he will be dropping a new album called “The Divine Feminine” on September 16. Based on the single with Anderson .Paak and the title of the album, I suspect that the project will delve into the realm of how women have effected his life—something he may have borrowed from Drake. 

7/28/16

A photo posted by Mac Miller (@larryfisherman) on Jul 25, 2016 at 2:34am PDT

Back in 2014, Mac Miller explained how his approach to the rap game was summed up in four letters—D.A.D.D. or “Do As Drake Does.” And don’t forget, on the song, “Here We Go” from the “Faces” mixtape, Mac said, “I did it all without a Drake feature.” However, on a Twitter Q&A from awhile back, Mac did say he might have something up his sleeve with Drake. Could “The Divine Feminine” land the first ever Mac Miller-Drake collaboration? Only time will tell.

Time has been good to Mac Miller. Whether he set himself up for the perfect career trajectory on purpose by starting out in the frat-rap category and working his way to a solidified lyricist or if it just worked out that way, Mac Miller has truly gotten better with each song, each album. I’m willing to go out on a limb and say he’s a top-five rapper in the game right now. He listened to XXL and evolved like the Pokemon he’s been catching in Pokemon Go. The man just makes good music, and I still have my thumb in the air. 
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The script for Kevin Durant and the 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors

7/5/2016

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By Trey Alessio
Picture
CREDIT: Sporting News
On July 3, Kevin Durant announced he will join forces with the Splash Brothers and sign with the Golden State Warriors, creating the ultimate super team. When Durant made his announcement, it seemed like  the script set up perfectly for the Warriors to take the 2016-2017 NBA season by storm. Well, I wrote a script for what I think will happen in the NBA next year. 

(Parts of this are obviously fictional.)
INT. Oracle Arena. Oakland, Cali. May 30, 2016. Night.
It’s Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference Finals. The arena is packed with screaming fans. The camera focuses in on the scoreboard. It’s the fourth quarter and the GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS are beating the OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER, 93-86, with about 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter. KEVIN DURANT takes the ball up the court for the Thunder. He reads the defense and goes right with the ball after one of his teammates sets a pick for him at the top of the three-point arc. DRAYMOND GREEN steps up for the Warriors’ defense and contests Durant’s shot. The ball hangs in the air and bounces off the rim and into the hands of the Warriors. It’s a crucial moment in the game. 
CUT TO:
The clock strikes zero on the Thunder’s season. Confetti falls as the Golden State Warriors win the game, 96-88, and the series to head to the NBA Finals to face off against the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS. The crowd erupts with war whoops and applause. The players and coaches all meet at mid-court to shake hands after the game. Kevin Durant shakes up with STEPHEN CURRY, KLAY THOMPSON, Draymond Green and the rest of the Golden State Warriors. He looks very disappointed. 
CUT TO:
ON SCREEN: 3 DAYS LATER
  
INT. KD’s House. Oklahoma City, Okla. June 2, 2016. Night.
Close up, full screen. We see the Golden State Warriors playing the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The camera zooms out and we see Kevin Durant sitting on his couch in his living room with some family and friends. 
KD’s FRIEND
(to Kevin)
Man, does this suck to sit here and watch this?
  
KEVIN DURANT
Yeah, but we’ll be back. Don’t even worry about it.
CUT TO:
ON SCREEN: JUNE 19, 2016: NBA FINALS GAME 7
 
INT. Oracle Arena. Oakland, Cali. June 19, 2016. Night.
The camera focuses on the scoreboard. It’s a tied game, 89-89. The Warriors are on fast break with ANDRE IGUODALA leading the way. He cuts through the Cavs defense and passes the ball to Stephen Curry at the shoulder of the key. Curry immediately dishes the ball back to Iguodala in transition. Iguodala drives through the lane and attempts to put up a layup, but LEBRON JAMES comes out of nowhere for the Cavs to pin the ball up against the backboard for a clutch block. 
QUICK FADE:
On the other end of the floor, KYRIE IRVING isolates Stephen Curry at the top right of the three-point arc. Irving quickly reads the defense, does a quickstep and pulls up for a three-pointer. Curry jumps to try and contest the shot, but the ball goes in. The packed crowd goes ballistic. 
QUICK FADE:
Lebron James settles in at the free throw line. The rest of the players on the court line up along the key for the free throw attempts. Lebron takes a deep breath before the first shot. He dribbles, bends at the knees and shoots the ball. It hits the back of the rim and banks out. Lebron turns around in frustration but quickly settles back in for the second free throw attempt. He goes through his routine and fires up another shot. The ball touches every side of the rim before it finally goes in. The camera focuses on the scoreboard. The Cavaliers lead the Warriors, 93-89, with about 10 seconds left. 
QUICK FADE:
On the other end, the Warriors in-bound the ball from the sideline. Stephen Curry gets the ball just beyond the three-point line. IMAN SHUMPERT puts his hand up to contest Curry. Curry half-pump fakes and throws up a three. The ball trickles out and MO SPEIGHTS hurries out to get a shot off before the clock strikes zero and fails to capitalize on the shot. The Cavaliers bench runs on the court to celebrate the win. The team shares a big hug on the floor. Lebron James falls to his knees and sheds tears of joy as the Cavs win 93-89.
CUT TO:
INT. KD’s House. Oklahoma City, Okla. June 19, 2016. Night.
Kevin Durant and his family and friends watch as the Cavaliers celebrate becoming the first team in NBA Finals history to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win a championship. Durant takes the remote and shuts the TV off. 
KD’S FRIEND
(to Kevin)
That’ll be you next year, man. Believe that.
  
KEVIN DURANT
Yeah, I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.
  
KD’S FRIEND
Well, we all will support you in whatever you decide to do. 
CUT TO:
FULL SCREEN ON TV:
 
An ESPN anchor stands in front the camera and talks about NBA free agency. 
ESPN ANCHOR
Lots of storylines regarding this year’s NBA free agency with the new salary cap. The main question: what team will Kevin Durant sign with?
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KD’s House. Oklahoma City, Okla. July 3, 2016.
Kevin Durant stands in his bathroom and looks at himself in the mirror. It seems like he’s doing some deep thinking about something very important. He seems somewhat conflicted. 
CUT TO:
Kevin Durant sits at a desk in an office-like room. He has a laptop open in front of him on the desk. He begins typing.
KEVIN DURANT (V.O.)
(via The Players Tribune)
This has been by far the most challenging few weeks in my professional life. I understood cognitively that I was facing a crossroads in my evolution as a player and as a man, and that it came with exceptionally difficult choices. What I didn’t truly understand, however, was the range of emotions I would feel during this process. The primary mandate I had for myself in making this decision was to have it based on the potential for my growth as a player — as that has always steered me in the right direction. But I am also at a point in my life where it is of equal importance to find an opportunity that encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth. 
DISSOVLE TO:
INT. Chesapeake Energy Arena. Oklahoma City, Okla. 2016.
Kevin Durant stands alone in an empty arena. The lights are on but very dim. He walks over and stands on the Thunder logo at mid-court. He seems to be reminiscing. 
KEVIN DURANT (V.O.)
With this in mind, I have decided that I am going to join the Golden State Warriors. 
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. Warriors Front Office. Oakland, Cali. 2016.
BOB MYERS—the General Manager of the Golden State Warriors—sits with Kevin Durant and his AGENT.
BOB MYERS
Look Kevin, I’ll get straight to it. We want you. Without you, we can win another title or two. Without us, you might win some too. But together, we’ll win a bunch.
  
KEVIN DURANT
You’re a straight shooter, Mr. Myers. I like that. 
Kevin Durant and Bob Myers shake hands. 
KEVIN DURANT (V.O.)
I’m from Washington, D.C. originally, but Oklahoma City truly raised me. It taught me so much about family as well as what it means to be a man. There are no words to express what the organization and the community mean to me, and what they will represent in my life and in my heart forever. The memories and friendships are something that go far beyond the game. Those invaluable relationships are what made this deliberation so challenging. It really pains me to know that I will disappoint so many people with this choice, but I believe I am doing what I feel is the right thing at this point in my life and my playing career. I will miss Oklahoma City, and the role I have had in building this remarkable team. 
CUT TO:
EXT. Park. Oklahoma City, Okla. 2016. Day.
Thunder fans set fire to their Kevin Durant Thunder jerseys.

pic.twitter.com/uGeCqfb0T6

— Nick Medina (@rapfavnick) July 4, 2016
KEVIN DURANT (V.O.)
I will forever cherish the relationships within the organization — the friends and teammates that I went to war with on the court for nine years, and all the fans and people of the community. They have always had my back unconditionally, and I cannot be more grateful for what they have meant to my family and to me.
CUT TO:
FULL SCREEN ON TV:
 
An ESPN anchor stands in front of the camera and talks about the state of the NBA.
ESPN ANCHOR
We’re in the era of the super team. KD, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all on one team. Is this real life? After setting the record for most regular season wins in 2016, the Warriors—arguably one of the greatest teams in NBA history—go out and make their team even better. Will this team even lose next year? 
FADE TO:
We see an avalanche of visuals and sound bites of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and the rest of the Golden State Warriors winning game after game in 2016-2017. Radio hosts talk about the dominance, writers come up with story after story about the super team and sports TV provides wall-to-wall coverage on the Warriors.
DISSOLVE TO:
ON SCREEN:
 
2017 NBA FINALS GAME 7 – Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
 
INT. Oracle Arena. Oakland, Cali. 2017. Night.
The camera focuses on the scoreboard. The Golden State Warriors are beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 88-85, with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. Both teams huddle up on the sidelines after a timeout. STEVE KERR—the Warriors head coach—draws up the next play.
STEVE KERR
Alright, guys, stay focused. Two more minutes and we’re world champions. Here’s what we’re gonna do: Kevin’s gonna take it up. Draymond, you’re gonna set a screen. Kev, you’re gonna roll out and find Steph open for a three. Steph, you sink it and let’s put the nail in the coffin. Take your time and milk some clock. Let’s go, guys!
  
KEVIN DURANT
If I see an opening, I’m gonna take it.
 
STEPHEN CURRY
C’mon, Kev. Coach knows what he’s talkin’ ‘bout. Stick to the plan.
 
DRAYMOND GREEN
Yeah, let’s go with Coach.
The Warriors put their hands together to break out of the huddle. Kevin Durant shakes his head in frustration and reluctantly puts his hand up with the rest of the players.
ALL
One… Two… Three… Warriors!
Everybody runs back on the court. 
QUICK CUT TO:
 Kevin Durant takes the ball up the court. He scans the Cavs defense. Lebron James is right in his face. Draymond Green runs up from behind Lebron James and sets a pick. Durant sees Stephen Curry wide open in the corner for a three but decides to drive through the lane. Lebron is all over him on defense, so Durant dishes the ball out to Curry. The Cavs smother Curry as soon as he gets the ball. Durant runs back up to the top of the arc. Curry gets the ball to Durant. He takes a quick shot as the shot clock ticks down. The ball flies through the air but banks in and out of the basket. 
QUICK FADE TO:
The camera focuses on the scoreboard. There’s about 25 seconds left and the Warriors lead the Cavs, 95-94. The Cavaliers have the ball. Lebron James takes the ball up the court. He gets to the top of the key and dribbles the ball, wasting some time off the clock. Lebron takes a quickstep and drives through the lane. Draymond Green meets him in the paint. Lebron attempts to back down Draymond. He scans the Warriors defense and notices along the top of the key, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry get caught up in a pick, leaving Kyrie Irving open. Lebron quickly passes the ball to Kyrie. He sinks the shot as time expires. The fans in Oracle Arena become silent. Kevin Durant looks devastated. Stephen Curry drops to his knees in disappointment as the Cleveland Cavaliers bring home back-to-back titles. 
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. Cavaliers Media Room. Oakland, Cali. 2017. Night.
Lebron James and Kyrie Irving sit in front of microphones as the media fire questions at the champagne-soaked champions. 
REPORTER
At the beginning of the year, everybody thought when Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors they would stroll through the playoffs and eventually win a championship. How does it feel knowing you put a stop to that?
  
LEBRON JAMES
We didn’t pay any attention to that. We knew we had the pieces to win another championship. Kevin did what he had to do to try to win a championship. I’m just glad my team all stuck together to build on what we started last year.
  
REPORTER
Kyrie, what would you say to someone who says only super teams win championships these days?
 
KYRIE IRVING
I’d tell them it’s not about making a super team. It takes all the right pieces to fall into place. I mean the Heat lost to the Mavs back in 2011, and the Warriors lost to the Cavs in 2017. (looks to Lebron and laughs)
Lebron lightly shoves Kyrie as the entire room bursts into laughter. 
FADE OUT. 
Picture
CREDIT: Bleacher Report
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