"Still playing it out the same speakers, I did it all without a Drake feature" - Here We Go

Who is he? Mac Miller, the white guy from Pittsburgh who has in the past brought us a few uplifting youthful jams such as 'Nikes On My Feet', 'Kool Aid and Frozen Pizza' and 'Donald Trump'. Most hip hop fans will know of him to some degree, many will look at him with disdain because he's not truly representing boom bap rap and some could make claims that he sounds too poppy. Non hip hop fans will know Mac purely on a shallow level, they'll dance to his songs, sing the chorus etc then on to the next.

His latest mixtape 'Faces' follows from his most recent album 'Watching Movies With the Sound Turned Off'. They're pretty similar and show the growth of Mac as both a lyricist and a man. 'Faces' is 24 songs of pretty much straight bars and beats - both provided by the man himself. It's pretty awesome if you ask me.

First off, if you're not comfortable with yourself and listening to music that explores weird places and troublesome issues, this may not be for you. What we get on 'Faces' is someone who has experienced a pretty steep rise at a young age. Dealing with that rise in fame, cashflow etc can lead you down an interesting path and Mac Miller details this journey through his complex rhymes. Intense drug use, suicide, depression - taboo subjects for many rappers, it's all here. You've been warned. Despite it, it's awesome to hear it put in such a way that only Mac can.

Songs like 'Colours and Shapes', 'Angel Dust', 'Apparition', 'Happy Birthday' and 'Funeral' are all pretty darn reflective to put it mildly. Influenced by drug use and often suicidal thoughts, these jams sum up Mac Miller the best. Deeply introspective, consistently questioning the status quo (and the world) while doing it all in a happy go lucky and skillful manner. The best example of all this is on 'Malibu' where Mac spits "the only suicidal motherfucker with a smile on".

What's even better is that many of the beats are produced by 'Larry Fisherman' aka Mac Miller. He's equally adept creating relatively normal beats such as 'Thumbalina from the Block' which is far from a regular hip hop beat but is probably the closest thing to a 'simple drum pattern beat that everyone does'. Peep the Beastie Boys sample as well.

One of my top jams (of the 24 in total) is 'Rain' which features a delicious 9th Wonder beat, with Vince Staples doing what he does best in his opening verse. Mac finishes it off and the two emcees share the track in a manner that very few can. Vince Staples is one of the dopest rappers around by the way.

It's well known that Mac shares a good relationship with Staples and Earl Sweatshirt. Earl features on two joints - 'New Faces' and 'Polo Jeans' and you can expect plenty more where that came from. Their chemistry is top shelf, they're going through the same type of shit as top shelf young rappers and live life to the fullest. Anytime Earl and Mac are rapping together, good things happen. Earl's verse on 'New Faces' is absolute fire

Honestly, I could post multiple examples from each song of Mac Millers lyrical ability. For me it only takes one bar to really show what this kid can do. The rhyme schemes vary from the complex down to the stupidly simple but they all sound cool and despite some lines appearing to be throw aways, they all serve a purpose. 'Polo Jeans' kicks off with some dazzling rhyme schemes...

I give no fucks when I go nuts, cause I smoke dust, overdosed on the sofa: Dead
Woke up from the coma pulled up in a Skoda smoked, went back to bed
Never thought it would be such a loner, I tell my bitch that I fucking own her
My neighbor's daughter just got a dog, I'ma run it over, I'm a fucking soldier
So cold bro fuck pneumonia, all my bitches got love for Sosa, I just wanna fuck Rosa Acosta then disappear in Southern California

On the whole, I've been bumping this every day of the week. Everything you need is on this mixtape, as well as Rick Ross ('Insomniak') and Mike Jones! Who? Yes THE Mike Jones who drops a typically Mike Jones verse on 'Uber'.

Mac Miller's in a good place. He's gone through enough shit to have plenty to rap about. He's got bars for days, his mindset has been moulded, he's doing a fine job of making beats and he genuinely doesn't really give a shit whether the music finds a place on radio (fuck radio). 'Faces' is kinda therapy as well as a clear demonstration of the kid from Pittsburgh's ability. It's all just cool as fuck.