On January 17, rapper Mac Miller’s estate released “Balloonerism,” Miller’s 14th studio album. This album has been in the works since 2014, and it marks Miller’s sixth posthumous album release since his death in 2018. During his career, Miller made a profound impact on the music industry, which is evident in the success of “Balloonerism.” The album debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Hip Hop/Rap Albums list. We both have fond memories of listening to Miller’s albums like “The Divine Feminine” and “Swimming” upon their releases in 2016 and 2018, respectively. It is because of these fond memories listening to Miller’s music that we wanted to review our eight favorite songs on this album.
“DJ’s Chord Organ (feat. SZA)” — 9/10
This song was originally made in 2013-2014 and displays Miller’s mastery of production. Miller layers the fifth chord of the song with a harmony with a steady bass line, and the intensity of the two lines grow as bassist Thundercat repeats the line “Watch the world go ’round, and ’round, and ’round, and ’round.” Then, everything stops to give way for SZA’s verse—a sudden but interesting change in the vibe of the song. Though I wished SZA’s vocals were more dominant, I still loved her verse, which was a relic of her style from the 2010s. SZA, Thundercat and Miller’s vocals blend very well throughout this track, and this is one of my favorite songs from the album. —Teresa
“Do You Have A Destination?” — 7.5/10
While not my favorite track instrumentally, this song is strong both lyrically and thematically. Miller harps on personal themes, from giving up his life to the music industry to his battle with drug addiction. As the last song from his March 2014 recording sessions, this song features production attributed to Miller’s alter ego, Larry Fisherman, and from other artists like Thundercat as well. What struck me most about this track is how Miller displays his emotional conflicts. At a point of his career when it seems like he would be at an all-time high, he hits listeners with lines such as “I gave my life to this shit, already killed myself.” He uses this song to explain how the music industry has drained him and left him feeling disillusioned and lost. These themes, coupled with the mellow and unique instrumentation, make for a very compelling track. — Sabrina
“Friendly Hallucinations” — 7/10
This track delves deep into Miller’s relationship with drugs. He explores the tough reality of drug addiction and the false sense of security it brings, hence the title “Friendly Hallucinations.” Bringing in jazz-adjacent beats with a darker, mellower tone, Miller leaves room for listeners to really take in the lyrics. The repeated lyric “It’s only real if it’s real to you” reads as a line speaking to another person struggling with addiction, but the line also applies aptly to struggles in his life. Listening to this track, I felt my emotions running high; I felt the vulnerability and level of escape drugs provided for Miller and how easy it is to be influenced by the hallucinations of paradise brought about by drug use. — Sabrina
“Mrs. Deborah Downer” — 8/10
Before listening to this song, I already liked the title, which is an obvious play on the saying “Debbie Downer.” In this song, “Mrs. Deborah Downer” is a reference to Miller’s experience with drugs, specifically downers. This is one of the slower, more vulnerable songs on the album as Miller raps over soft beats, crafting short vignettes about his past experiences with drugs. Miller doesn’t glorify drug use in this song—rather, his lyrics serve as a warning: “I lie awake faded, watch the days go by / And only at the lows do I chase that high.” He ends this song asking a question that sums up the track’s theme of the dangers of drug use: “Whatcha gonna do when the money comin’ slow?” While this song may not be the most impressively produced song on the album, it is a well written, personal display of Miller’s drug use. Miller died of an accidental drug overdose on September 7, 2018. — Teresa
“Stoned” — 8/10
This track explores similar themes to “Friendly Hallucinations;” however, because weed is the drug of focus, the stakes of the lyrics feel lowered. This track is more upbeat compared to “Friendly Hallucinations” and takes the opportunity to shift the narrative of using drugs to escape. His willingness to “get stoned” with another person in the track makes the drug use feel more recreational and carefree than in “Friendly Hallucinations.” Here, instead of being controlled by hallucinations brought about by hard drug use, Miller is the one in control of his experience smoking weed. This shift in meaning is super interesting and is why this track is one of my favorites on the record. — Sabrina
“Funny Papers” — 8.5/10
This track is easily one of the most poetic on the album. The song features some beautiful chord progressions from the bass and piano and is packed full of sentimental lyrics that speak to a truth that all of our struggles in life are transient. From the start, the song has a playful feeling to it. Miller manages to take both the negative and positive aspects of what we hear in the news and use them as meditations on his own emotions and, more broadly, on how we should navigate our lives. Miller urges listeners to embrace the simplicity of life, asking, “Why does it matter at all?” In an album focused primarily on the heavy aspects of life, this track serves as a refreshing reminder of some of the more uplifting moments in our lives. — Sabrina
“Excelsior” — 8/10
“Excelsior” does not open with music or lines by Miller. The song starts with the sound of children playing and yelling, a fitting beginning for this touching tribute to childhood innocence. Miller tells a short story about different children at the playground in the first lines in the song. Miller raps that “Claire always wishes she was as pretty as Julie. / The boys always chase Julie around the sandbox. / Claire just waits ’til she gets picked up by her grandpa.” Miller raps over a piano line, a slow beat and the sounds of children playing as he talks about the simplicity of childhood life before children “get polluted, start thinkin’ like adults.” This is a short and simple song, yet I think the simplicity contributes to the nostalgia that Miller conveys. — Teresa
“Tomorrow Will Never Know” — 9/10
This track is eleven minutes and 53 seconds long, and I think the song is the darkest on this album. Miller describes his troubles with self-image in the lines “The lake’s frozen over, look down at yourself. / What’s starin’ back doesn’t please you.” Miller then describes asking God to give him a break, but Miller says God simply replies, “See, living and dying are one and the same.” For the second time on this record, Miller ends this song with a line symbolic of the ending of the track (and, here, the album). Miller chooses to end his album more optimistically, saying, “Give you a chance to start all over.” I thought this was a great way to end the album. Miller tied together themes from multiple songs, such as the audio of children playing from “Excelsior,” in the six-minute instrumental that ends the song. The instrumentals here feel a bit disjointed, but in the last three minutes of the track, Miller isolates the bass line, a ring tone and the sound of children playing, which I thought was a great ending for the album. — Teresa
Overall, Miller’s years of work on “Balloonerism” paid off to create a cohesive, creative and well-rounded album. Our average grade of these eight songs is 8.1/10.