I think some of his newer fans might be unearthing part of his life and career they weren’t exposed to because they may have discovered him after his passing, either through “Swimming” right before he died or “Circles,” his posthumous album which presents an artist completely in command of what he was doing. Some of his longtime fans will be a little surprised. Do you think people will be surprised to learn how sensitive he was about such things?Ĭantor: Artists are very sensitive and he was an artist in the truest sense. Q: You write a lot about how that one negative review really got in Mac’s head. I think she was and still is grappling with what occurred. With something like that, I think that experience with him was traumatic for her, as it would be for anyone. Q: Did you try to talk to her for the book?Ĭantor: I tried, but I didn’t get too far. But everything (I was told) was that she was this really positive influence. Sometimes you talk to people and you think they’re going to tell you crazy stuff. That relationship was very positive and loving between them. I thought there would be a lot more salaciousness there and there was not. Paul Cantor: I was really surprised that a lot of what was discussed after his passing with regard to his relationship with Ariana. Question: What surprised you the most doing your research and interviews? “I wanted to get into his head a bit to learn about that, what made him who he was.”Ĭantor talked more about what he discovered about Miller’s life, from his relationship with Grande to his addiction to his place in hip-hop. “If you listen to his music, he was a profound songwriter and thinker, a really genuine and deep human,” Cantor says. Miller’s family opted not to participate in the project.Ĭantor traveled to Pittsburgh, California and New York – all places Miller lived – pacing the streets Miller walked and visiting the stores he patronized. Miller’s complicated history is painstakingly reported by Cantor, who interviewed more than 100 people during a three-year process. His music career produced four additional well-received releases before his death, though a rough review – which Cantor explores – seemed to lodge in Miller’s head. The album topped the Billboard 200 and introduced Miller to a wider rap audience with songs including “Smile Back” and “Party on Fifth Ave.”Īlong with growing fame, Miller experienced deeper bouts of depression and, during his 2012 Macadelic tour, became addicted to lean, the combination of prescription cough syrup and soda popularized in the hip-hop community. But navigating a rap calling as a young white man in a city increasingly entranced by another native talent, Wiz Khalifa, meant that Miller – born Malcolm McCormick – engaged in a slow-burn of independent iTunes releases and mixtapes that eventually cultivated a burgeoning fan base.īut by the time his debut, “Blue Slide Park,” arrived in 2011, Miller’s career was primed for takeoff. Miller’s career technically began when he was 14 years old, freestyling in the attic of a friend.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |