For a creative, a finished work is not a means to an end, rather it’s a continuation of that means to an artist’s ever-present process. It can be a physical representation of the non-physical entities of a person at a point in time. A finished work is a product of one’s mind and soul that is then projected for the minds of others. The creative process is the most important, given that it is the dimension of thought where one’s work is manifested and fully embodied.
On September 15, the day before the release of his fourth studio album, The Divine Feminine, Mac Miller appeared on Sway in the Morning to discuss his creative process through this record. He gave a look into what’s been going on in his personal life and with his up and coming brainchild since GOOD:AM. Mac reveled in his eccentric creativity and clear mind, breaking down The Divine Feminine from it’s very core and what he hopes his audience will draw from it all. From his early mixtapes as a young Malcolm to this prodigious album about love, Mac Miller has developed as a young and mindful virtuoso who has perfected his sound and message in order to talk about the difficult but beautiful parts of being a human with a heart and a lot of soul. When asked what he wished to do by releasing TDF, he said: “I want people to like, to appreciate love in all forms of the word, like how complex and important of a feeling that is in the world. I want people to just feel good.”
Appreciating the complexity and divinity of love is exactly what this record does to those who grace themselves the listening pleasure. Few times have I encountered an album that binds so heavily with my self-creation and my personal process becoming an individual. As I was growing up, I listened to Mac with close friends and with those whom I had very strong, intimate connections. So through every new album and single, I have loved the fact that I’m able to look back to his old music, and gauge how much I have grown since that time. Rarely have I listened to a piece of work that evokes so much raw emotion from myself. As a creative mind, I find that the work and inspiration that evokes such emotion plays a huge role in who a person is from their very substance. From K.I.D.S to Faces to now, I have felt as though I have found substance in myself in so many ways, just as Mac has grown not only as an individual, but musically as well.
Mac commences The Divine Feminine with a track, Congratulations, that speaks on his strong love for this woman with whom he has a shared past. With a feature from Bilal, a multi-faceted musician from Philly, this piano heavy, emotionally eclectic track starts TDF off on the best foot possible. Dang! is a funky-jazz ballad focused on trying to reconcile a jaded relationship. Anderson Paak’s smooth vocals along with focus on the lyrics, give this track an excellent representation of the realities of intimate struggles in relationships. The album starts to pick up tempo with Cinderella, the fifth track on the list. This song, done with fellow rapper Ty Dolla $ign, portrays the profound and very explicit feelings that Mac has for his lover. My Favorite Part features Ariana Grande with her impeccable voice and laid-back tone. This song declares their love for one another through a sweet tune that encapsulates the essence of their fresh relationship. He dotingly serenades her, telling her that “you just don’t know how beautiful you are.” We, with CeeLo Green, takes a turn when the subject takes a more casual and sexual approach as the woman he is speaking about helps in keeping the relationship platonic, rather than intimate— which he detests. He blatantly wants a relationship with her. The song gives off a very mellow, yet meaningful flow, and ends on a note that leaves Mac still in question on what’s going on between the two. My personal number one is the last song on the album— God is Fair, Sexy Nasty. Not only is my interest peaked with the fact that Kendrick Lamar is featured, but it really hits home for me because of the message. In this track, the pair explains just how they find the divinity in their women. From the unending support and endless love that their women show them, nothing but praise and genuine appreciation for their women flood the concluding track. The part of God is Fair, Sexy Nasty that hit me the most, is the ending—Mac’s grandmother comes on speaking about the life and the foundation of such love and adoration that she and her husband of many years experienced together. It brought me to tears thinking of such a rare, shared lifetime that was had between the two.
“Love is a very powerful thing but it’s not like a corny or cheesy thing, it’s the realest- it’s the most talked about thing for a reason. I want people to really search for that in a positive way.” If there is anything that The Divine Feminine has done, it has made the search for that positivity and rawness of shared love plausible. Mac and his voice give those struggling with love, in all of its forms, a chance to really explore their innermost thoughts and desires when it comes into question. This album delves into the heavy side of relationships while touching on how amazing and connective they can be as well.
Day one Mac Miller has come a long way. From the beginning he has been a star and his creation of The Divine Feminine really hits the nail on the head when it comes to raw, genuine, kick-ass music. He told Sway: “I just want to reach everyone.” Well Mac, reach everyone is what you have done, and will continue to do. The soul in this music is unparalleled and my tears will be waiting to fall again for Mac’s next album.
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