Watching Movies with the Sound Off

1. MacadelicKid

   Aug 19, 2013

   10

   "Who the is Mac Miller?". These are the words ushered by battle rapper Loaded Lux on WMWTSO. Over the past 2 years or so, many of his fans"Who the is Mac Miller?". These are the words ushered by battle rapper Loaded Lux on WMWTSO. Over the past 2 years or so, many of his fans and music listeners in general have asked the same question. The question is posed as a mainstream Hip-Hop diss veering towards 'You're not popular', however I interpreted it as 'Where are you going stylistically?'.
   
   Mac's second studio album shows us maturity, both in his music and as a person. Mac elevated himself in every regard on this project, and I would like to break down how.
   
   Production: This is probably the highlight of the album; the instrumentals, vocals and placement of the songs.
   
   Mac enlisted the help of some pretty powerful names, from Pharell, to Chuck English, SAP (the genius behind 'Donald Trump') and FlyLo. Just play the first 10 seconds of each song, and you will hear for yourself the variation. You have sentimental, deep feeling tracks such as 'REMember', 'Objects In The Mirror' & 'Someone Like You'. Fast paced, lively boom-bap sounds such as 'Gees', 'OK', 'Watching Movies', 'Goosebumpz' & 'S.D.S'. Colourful Piano Chords and Samples in 'Avian', 'I'm Not Real', 'Red Dot Music' & 'Matches' (BMSR Sample FTW). However, where the beats shine is when Mac decides to bring in introspective, slow sounds on the tracks 'The Star Room', 'I Am Who Am' & 'Aquarium'. Mac even produced about 1/4 of the album himself, under the name Larry Fisherman.
   
   These songs are great individually, however, for me an album is at its best when it links. Mac utilized this incredibly well, whether it be Earl telling him to "go" (which is precisely what he did on S.D.S), again Lux asking who he is (which he then outlines on 'Gees') or Mac going from discussing his view on certain quote-on-quote important social/political/economical issues ('Aquarium') to him detailing his idea of what euphoria is (Youforia, which is the vagina). Finally his voice sounds a lot cleaner compared to previous work, and the vocals provided by Niki Randa are enchanting. Mac uses pitch vocals on a few songs also, so you can see the Odd Future influence.
   
   Lyrics: I have loved Mac Miller since he started, but I even I can admit that his lyrics were never the greatest. Whether that be his lyricism, or what he is saying. On WMWTSO, Mac abolishes my thoughts. Mac decided to put it all on the line, and rap about many different topics, from his parents relationship, his own, his addiction to 'lean', celebrity culture, secret societies/conspiracies, his childhood, religion (a lot), money and its negative effects, even the human condition; (When 'em high roller homes in Vegas/Raid them with some home invasions/Contaminating the place with plague, we just saved the day. 'I Am Who Am').
   
   His skills at conveying his thoughts also have improved. Lines such as "Not into this conversation/I've been in my head for hours" (Not into/Nodding to), "Money in machines/those will make you change", "Jewish Buddhist consuming the views of Christianity", "You got a clue/what does a clue get? Nothing" & "Make a collage and look at it through a kaleidoscope".
   
   Flow: This has always been Mac's strong point, and it only gets better on this project. "Hyper than Williams' middle son since I was a little one moms had to put me on the Ritalin/ Made a swisher run crack the 40 then I lit a blunt/Told Chuck I had a couple raps so we kicked the drums." Mac varies his tempo based on what he is talking about, but always keeps it interesting. Tracks such as 'I Am Who Am', 'Watching Movies' and 'Gees' best showcase this.
   
   Features: Damn. Action Bronson, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Tyler, Earl, Jay Electronica? Mac certainly kept his ear to this best talent of the 'new-school'.
   
   All verses vary, from Bronson showcasing his already legendary rapping skills, Soul getting nostalgic about his childhood, Tyler hyping Mac up for a crazy song or Jay Electronica even rapping about female characters from actual movies.
   
   WMWTSO is no concept album, it is however, a piece of art that rivals any in hip-hop this year. I advise anyone to at least try 3 or 4 tracks. Remember, the dude is only 21, and has produced a future classic with some incredible replay value.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
2. Matedawg11

   Jun 18, 2013

   10

   This album honestly grows on me more and more with each listening. Plenty of standout tracks, with Objects in the Mirror, Watching Movies andThis album honestly grows on me more and more with each listening. Plenty of standout tracks, with Objects in the Mirror, Watching Movies and a few others being personal favorites. Production by Mac, as Larry Fisherman, is very good and you can tell that he has evolved a lot in that aspect. As far as the features are concerned, they are all well matched with the more chilled out approach this album seems to take. To the reviewer who said that Mac's flow is boring and the same in every song clearly was not listening to the album carefully. I'm not gonna pretend that this album is full of hype beats and that Mac has a different flow on every song, but don't we always bash artists for not being unique?...this is certainly unique and Mac's own flow. If you want examples of quicker flows and beats that are less "boring" you can listen to S.D.S., Watching Movies or Goosebumpz.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. mc_ryn

   Sep 22, 2015

   9

   WMWTSO is better than GO:OD AM as the persona Mac Miller brings in WMWTSO is much more raw and interesting, GO:OD AM feels like a typical rapWMWTSO is better than GO:OD AM as the persona Mac Miller brings in WMWTSO is much more raw and interesting, GO:OD AM feels like a typical rap project with little substance. I loved the way Mac deals with raw topics about death, drugs and love in a way where connects to the audience in his alter ego, I thought that was really good way to expose his feelings. long story short, he pulled this album of really well and i will listen to it again and again unlike go:od am which disappoints me, id wish me and mac could make things up nooo..… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
5. Rosewood

   Jun 22, 2013

   8

   this was a very interesting album because Mac Miller went away from his party roots and did a unique hip hop album His beats sound excellent,this was a very interesting album because Mac Miller went away from his party roots and did a unique hip hop album His beats sound excellent, his lyrics were good and this was a smart choice to do for mac Miller because he could have done another Blue Slide Park ,(which I enjoy also) but he went left and gave us a solid project… Expand

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6. JakeWLovesRap

   Apr 2, 2020

   7

   Better than his debut 'Blue Slide Park' but still feels like it's not all the way there at points. I think it suffers from some of the sameBetter than his debut 'Blue Slide Park' but still feels like it's not all the way there at points. I think it suffers from some of the same problem where there are very few standout songs. It's good, and has a consistent message and vibe, but it just feels a little underwhelming at points. Does a good job of taking the listener into Mac's dark mind-state at the time, and Mac's lyricism is only further evolved from earlier projects.… Expand

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7. SaulGood

   Jun 24, 2013

   7

   Impressive sophomore release from Mac. I wasn't a fan of his first album but this project shows extreme growth comparatively. From subjectImpressive sophomore release from Mac. I wasn't a fan of his first album but this project shows extreme growth comparatively. From subject matter to lyricism to the incredible production and features,I have to say that I have become a fan and am excited to see what this 21 year old is capable of in the future. He certainly shares the same undying passion for underground hip-hop as I and it shines through here.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. CoachMcGuirk

   Jun 23, 2013

   0

   Any idiot can rap about getting their sucked. Mac Miller stumbles around the entire album without saying anything even remotely interestingAny idiot can rap about getting their sucked. Mac Miller stumbles around the entire album without saying anything even remotely interesting or intriguing.… Expand

   • 1 of 9 users found this helpful

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