The impetus for posthumous releases often feels dicey, especially for rappers. Even if they are presented as a post-life artistic celebration, it’s hard to ignore the feeling that the albums were crafted at the behest of the record label trying to make more money off the artist’s likeness. As many rappers have fallen in the last decade, it’s been easy to notice the slew of posthumous projects released by labels in an attempt to hold onto their relevance in the marketplace. It seems that the people behind the release of Mac Miller’s Balloonerism (out now) have attempted to counter this narrative by doing something bold—taking their time.
Balloonerism, was originally conceived by Miller amidst the making of his 2013 album Watching Movies With The Sound Off and his 2014 mixtape Faces. Yet, it was shelved at the time as those projects took precedence. Miller eventually moved on creatively to new ideas. Bootleg leaks of unfinished versions of the project’s songs have circulated on the internet since. However, no amount of fan pressuring seems to have moved Miller or his estate to release the album…until now. Over six years after his passing, the full body of work is here along with its originally commissioned cover art by Alim Smith—-a distorted Pablo Picasso-esque drawing of Miller’s head as a balloon lifting a man into the sky.
This is technically Miller’s second posthumous release. Circles dropped in 2020, about a year after he died. That album was nearly completed towards the end of Miller’s life. And Miller has at least ten other rumored unreleased albums fans have yearned for over the years. So the question is…why this album and why now? According to his estate, the motivation stemmed from the fact that “discussions concerning when it should be released were had regularly” and it “was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him.”
The album and accompanying animated short film seem to be actualized through the attempted purpose of bringing to life a part of Miller that actually existed, rather than guessing how he would have continued on. That is evident in some of the choices—-a tambourine solo to begin the album, SZA remaining the only voice on the project besides Miller himself, and a grand total of only six producers officially credited on the album (all of which were there for the original recordings). Here are views of the album plus a few initial takeaways.
Early traces of Faces can be heard all over this album
In a now-deleted Reddit post, E. Dan, acclaimed producer and a former close collaborator of Miller’s, spoke on how Balloonerism was made shortly before Faces and how some of its songs were saved for the latter. “Pretty much all of the songs you all know as Balloonerism were made inside of a week stemming from what was basically jam sessions,” he wrote. He also added that Mac “did indeed move on from it, took a few of the songs for Faces and never got back to it.”
Fitting that most of the album feels like a reverse mirror of Mac’s beloved 2014 mixtape—which was also officially released on streaming platforms a few years back. Much like how Swimming and Circles act as companion pieces to one another, Balloonerism sounds like a meditative prequel (or test lab) to the project that eventually became Faces. Tracks like “Stoned,” “Funny Papers,” “Rick’s Piano”—”Rick” as in Rick Rubin—and especially “Tomorrow Will Never Know” (where Mac’s vulnerably questioning his purpose in life in a pit of despair) all echo similar underlying themes, instrumentation and the off-the-wall nature that embodies Faces.
However, where Faces felt like a downer, Balloonerism is the upper—floating away aimlessly like a proverbial balloon into space. —Jon Barlas
SZA’s presence is a true full circle moment
Longtime fans know this SZA and Mac Miller collaboration on Balloonerism as “The Song That Changed Everything,” and it very well might be.
Around the same time Balloonerism was recorded, Mac produced “Warm Winds” and “UR” off of SZA’s 2014 debut EP, Z. “DJ’s Chord Organ” is their first collaboration since, despite its official release over a decade later. Evidently, the song represents a full circle moment at its core, considering the insurmountable success the TDE songstress has achieved since Z dropped. After his passing in 2018, SZA lauded the late-Miller as a “forever genuine friend.” “You were the first person I met when I moved here. You let me come over every day and let me be whoever I wanted,” she wrote in an Instagram post. [Mac was] “the first person to believe in me and make stuff with me.”
“DJ’s Chord Organ” acts as a heartfelt time capsule of their friendship. Mac doesn’t say much of anything here, and that’s OK, the song speaks volumes on its own. He recites a ghostly hook, spearheading the song’s production—allowing SZA’s brooding and hypnotizing vocals to shine. SZA also appears on Balloonerism’s fifth track, “Friendly Hallucinations”—listen closely for her or you might think you’re hearing things. I can only imagine what else they made around that time. —Jon Barlas
The animated short film emphasizes Miller’s desire for a return to childlike wonder
The film accompanying Balloonerism begins from within a piano—which is then shot off into the universe landing near a children’s playground. On the playground, you are introduced to the film’s protagonist, Little Timmy with the broken arm (who looks much like an animated child version of Miller himself). He plays amongst his friends as Miller’s track “Excelsior” plays in the background. These lyrics pop out dramatically:
“All of this before the brainwash starts/Before they get polluted, start thinkin' like adults/Life is fantasy and somersaults then/Before the world tear apart imagination.”
Little Timmy and his friends eventually find the piano and are cast off into a, sometimes thrilling, sometimes dark, fantasy wonderland where they become various types of animated animals. The piano as a portal metaphor seems to indicate it as the source of wild imagination. This all seems to be indicating Miller constantly craved this return to youthful wonderment and could only find it through music—the film’s central theme. However, music and artistry, and the adulthood that came with the pursuit of it, had dark sides. The film gives potential definition to the term “Balloonerism,” which sounds like a term to describe a philosophy or religion—-the theory that adults are always in pursuit of a return to their most visceral experiences of childlike joy.
Miller throughout his music career reminisced on childhood from the imagery of “Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza” to remembering how he used to want to be a superhero at the beginning of “Jet Fuel.” The short film feels like the purest extension of that continual desire. —Miki Hellerbach
This is the early days of Mac Miller the singer...which means he's still trying to find his vocal range and pitch
Mac would significantly increase the amount that he sang on his 2016 album The Divine Feminine. He would then further that exploration even more-so on his closing duo of albums Swimming and Circles.
Once Miller truly committed to singing in 2016 you could feel his ability to identify his vocally pleasing pockets come alive. On Balloonerism the singing feels much more in the experimental stage, while still remaining charming and intentionally executed. Compare, specifically, the “Friendly Hallucinations” hook to how Miller sounds on a song like “Ladders” from Swimming. One is like a rapper doing his best and the other is an artist honing in on a delivery that makes a song really come alive.
Thundercat, Miller’s longtime friend and collaborator, has production credits all over Balloonerism, particularly on three of the four tracks where Miller’s singing is highlighted. It’s safe to deduce that some of Miller’s melodic choices are due to some Thundercat influence. See tracks specifically on Thundercat’s 2017 released album Drunk like “Bus In The Streets,” “Lava Lamp,” and “Inferno” to draw parallels to Miller’s 2014 vocal stylings. —Miki Hellerbach
Death is an eerily ever present theme
We’ve counted at least 10 gut punch moments of death related lyrics on Balloonerism. From “Need to let the drugs go/Tryna find Heaven, I get high but never come close” on “Do You Have A Destination?” to “You wonder when God will just listen and give you a break/And He says, 'See, living and dying are one and the same'" on “Tomorrow Will Never Know,” it’s clear that Miller was transfixed with the end while this project was being conceived.
As Miller exists as a mouse version of Little Timmy in the alternate universe created in the Balloonerism short film, he seems to fall to his death over and over reincarnating as different versions of “himself.” At one point, the mouse even becomes an olive in a martini. Did Miller have any interest in the concept of reincarnation? We may never know. But one could say he reemerged as new versions of himself in his music constantly—-case and point his various characters he played including Delusional Thomas featured vocally on Balloonerism and Larry Fisherman——the producer version of Miller credited on the album.
Here is a list of some of the rest of the Balloonerism lyrics that further prove Miller’s fascination with his place in the beyond and death in general:
“We can get stoned/I swear to God, Heaven feels just like home.”- “Stoned”
“If I die young, promise to smile at my funeral” - “Shangri-La”
“Recently, I only meet peace when in deep sleep/Been the same dream, world safe, smile on her face/Waitin' on the other side/I wonder if he'll take me to the other side.”- “Funny Papers”
“What can we do?/'Cause I see the light at the end of the tunnel/It feels like I'm dyin', dyin', dyin',I'm dead.”- “Manakins”
“What’s a man got to do for a little bliss? What does death feel like?” – “Rick’s Piano”
Balloonerism is of course far from the only time Mac pontificated on death in his catalog. On Faces, specifically, there is even a song called “Funeral” with church organs in the beat. Fittingly, on “DJ Chord Organ” you hear some of those same melancholy tones. —Miki Hellerbach
Mac’s estate is the gold standard for handling a deceased artist’s catalog with care and compassion.
Like we said before, posthumous projects tend to be tricky in their build-up, but Mac Miller’s family deserves a dozen bouquets for how they’ve navigated the late-rapper’s unreleased catalog.
Meticulous and thoughtful rollouts, tasteful companion films, limited edition collectibles, vinyls and (most importantly) music that is untouched from the era in which it was created, the estate’s handling of Mac’s legacy has not gone unnoticed to longtime fans. Re-releasing early mixtapes like I Love Life, Thank You, Faces and now Balloonerism, the attention to detail and compassion Mac’s posthumous work has received is a complete-180 to how most labels execute it.
Rushed, unfinished songs or adding features to previously-recorded cuts is something Miller’s team has never done. The Mac Miller estate has focused on timing and the complete preservation of his legacy. ——Jon Barlas