Mac Miller's "Watching Movies With The Sound Off" Review

Before I jump into this review, I want to let you know you that I wasn't a Mac Miller fan before this album dropped. Mac Miller, though already one of the most successful indie hip hop artists ever, just didn't do it for me as far as lyrics were concerned. He kind of reminded me of everything I wasn't really feeling about mainstream hip hop. Then about a month or so before the release of his sophomore effort, “Watching Movies With the Sound Off” he released a couple joints that caught my attention. My ears didn't really perk up until I heard “The End Is Near” because; one, Ab-Soul is on it; two, Mac produced the joint and three, lyrically Mac Miller stepped his game up. I wasn't entirely sold but I was intrigued. The next day the video for “S.D.S” came out produced by FlyLo. Mac Miller came correct once again. Lastly, I saw the tracklisting and guest features for the album and I knew I had to cop it. Let's see if “WMWTSO” was enough to transform me into a fan The album immediately grabbed my attention from the beat and the dark lyrics. “The Star Room” is the first track and it finds Mac reflecting on how his life has changed. His new found success isn't all glory, glamour and fun times--it's evident that he's frustrated. Everything from love to drugs are covered on this song and it's a breath of fresh air to hear A couple tracks later we get “I Am Not Real” which features Earl Sweatshirt (unfortunately only in the form of a hook) but the darkness continues on this joint. Like in “The Star Room,” Mac Miller talks more specifically about the all the bad sides of fame. Gold diggers, fake friends considered acquaintances, pain, drugs and more. We hear Mac take us into the other not so glamorous side of the music business. Mac is searching for answers to a lot of questions on this album and he's bringing us along for his journey through life “I Am Who Am (Killing Time)” has Mac Miller questioning fame again, and also questioning God. He feels like God has blessed him with fame however at the same time he wonders why God gave it to him if he's sinning. He questions those who judge him for buying material things with his money. He fears he might be wasting away in the studio because he spends so much time there. The second verse takes an even darker turn Forfeit in the war, he lays a sword down and walks away Grabs a 40 from the corner store and begins to contemplate Dealing with death like you work in the morgue aborsving the souls Forgotten, he lost his way Starring down that barrel, thinking not today The middle of the album kind of falls off a little bit because he seems to go back to the old Mac Miller. With songs like “Red Dot Music” (with Action Bronson), “Gees” (with ScHoolboy Q) and “Watching Movies” old fans of Mac will be pleased to see him in old form. There's definitely maturity on this album but he sticks to his roots, too “REMember” is one of my favorite songs on the record, where Mac Miller is paying homage to a fallen friend. The first verse has him talking to his friend wishing he would come back. A strong line has Mac wishing his friend had a kid so Mac could tell him/her stories about their father. The second first has Mac Miller telling people not to take life for granted because it can be taken from you at any moment so cherish it The existential questioning continues with “Aquarium”. The first verse mostly is about religion and search for deeper purpose: "I'll always wonder what happened 3000 years ago I like to toy with the idea that we really know Is what I do important in the grand scheme of things? In my head these dreams are dreamt, trust me we are kings” The second verse brings the American Dream into question. Throughout the entire record, we witness a 21 year old man question the world around him from everything he's given, to everything he's earned over the years “WMWTSO” is easily Mac Miller's best effort. One part that I skipped on the album was its production which was extremely solid. One part that I see being overlooked is how dope Larry Fisherman's (aka Mac Miller) beats were on this album. This album shows that he's really put in the work on his production game. The guest producers on the album were solid and created a cohesive sound (the only beat I thought that didn't really fit in was “S.D.S” but even that doesn't matter because the beat was straight fire anyway). Lyrically Mac Miller puts everything on the line, he's questioning a lot of things and dealing with a lot of pain For fans of Mac Miller you might not like the change he's underwent of late, but if you're a rap fan (or a fan of anyone that's featured on the project) you should enjoy what Mac Miller is offering with “WMWTSO”. All the features are on point and the diversity on this project, whether it's production or lyrics is solid. I am officially a Mac Miller fan. “Born Sinner” and “Yeezus” may have come out on the same day but don't sleep on this album. What ever box you had Mac Miller in before this release I can guarantee you that he breaks that box wide open