In September of 2018, rapper, producer and songwriter Mac Miller suffered from an unfortunate overdose, causing him to lose his life at the age of 26. The news took the music world by complete and utter surprise — fans, fellow musicians and family members alike were shocked. Miller was one of the most innovative and hard-working musicians in the hip-hop game, and his death continues to be a massive loss to the music world.
Shortly before his demise, Miller released his fifth studio album entitled “Swimming.” The project is a somber look into a journey of self-realization, most of which are tied together via themes of appreciation for life, mental health, and addiction. The well-produced album earned Miller his first and only Grammy nomination.
After The Academy announced that “Swimming” was up for Best Rap Album, fans and loved ones were completely overjoyed. For much of Miller’s career, his work was overlooked simply due to the fact that he wasn’t as popular as other rappers. Quite honestly, his lack of notoriety never had anything to do with the quality of his work. He was always a well-respected rapper that rarely took time off from creating music, even going on to release mixtapes under multiple different aliases. Speaking completely from the heart, it was comforting to know that Miller was finally being properly recognized for the diligence and ambition he clearly expressed through his music.
When his loved ones found out about his posthumous nom, they paid to put a billboard up in California. The Grammys offered to fly his parents out to attend in his honor, allegedly even promising to show a tribute video in the event that he won Best Rap Album. It didn’t matter how you were connected to Miller, whether you had been a fan, family member, friend, or otherwise — it just felt good to know that he was potentially getting what he deserved all along.
On the day of the award show, fans were immediately eager to find out if Miller would win. His parents, who flew out from Pittsburgh, sat through the entire show, in hopes that they would get to see their son formally recognized.
And instead of awarding Miller, The Academy chose to give Best Rap Album to Cardi B.
To be clear, most of the anger rooted in this situation shouldn’t be directed towards Cardi. It’s up for debate whether or not she deserved the award, but the point isn’t to tear her down, especially since she’s the first female to ever win Best Rap. Instead, it’s more or less just disappointing that the Grammys decided to nominate Miller, giving his fans a sense of false hope, knowing he wasn’t going to win. His family and loved ones, who are still mourning this empty loss, were looking forward to the possibility of him being honored the way he deserves, and yet… they voluntarily let that opportunity slip away.
Fans have speculated that the Grammys did all of that just for promotional purposes. Ariana Grande, Miller’s ex-girlfriend, even tweeted that his loss was “literal bullshit.”
Yes, the nomination in itself is still something to be celebrated. But Miller deserved better. He worked nonstop, was an incredibly talented producer, songwriter and rapper, released an album that clearly demonstrated his growth as an artist, and yet, the Grammys took away his last opportunity to be officially recognized with a physical award. They made his parents sit there and watch Cardi B accept an award that should have honored Miller.
It sucks that not everyone appreciates the work Miller did while he was still alive. The most comforting thing to know is that his fans will never let his legacy die. I mean, he released five studio albums, two EPs, two live albums, 12 mixtapes, and 52 music videos while he was on Earth — that’s enough music to last a lifetime.