Mac Miller Brings a Lively and Varied Set to Minneapolis

Pittsburgh MC, Mac Miller, played to a sold out crowd at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Sunday night.  The set included music both "old" and new spanning his entire studio album and mixtape discography.  Mac got started with a bang as he came running out of the gate with 2012's hit, Loud, which was received very well by the young audience.  He followed this up with two cuts of his 2013 album Watching Movies With the Sound Off  both of which were also welcomed with open arms.

Mac went on to greet the crowd and he prefaced two singles of of his major label debut, GO:OD A.M, with some clearly intoxicated self-promotion which led right into the album's soft opener, Doors.  This song calmed down the crowd, but the quiet was short lived as an interlude before the next song was synced up with the alarm clock themed DJ stand.  Right after the words "GO:OD" AM flashed on the stand, Mac launched into the album's second single, Brand Name.  The single was seemingly already in the hearts and minds of the crowd as they went ballistic and sang every word.

The energy remained high for the next several songs as the crowd started to vibe with an increasingly sober Mac Miller.  His next nine songs spanned five of his projects with his pre-2013 singles being received the best.  He then slowed down proceedings again with a string of two ballads, Objects in the Mirror and ROS.  These heart-felt songs showcase Mac's romantic side, but the live vocals fell a little short of the studio versions.  Mac then brought his DJ Clockwork to center-stage to showcase his lyrical skills as they performed their collaboration, 4:48.

Miller finished out his set with a series of high energy "bangers" including 2012's Lucky Ass B**** and his newest trap-flavored cut, When in Rome.  His set ended with Therapy from 2014's Faces after which he and his crew awkwardly sauntered off stage which left the crowd confused.

The confusion was short lived after about 30 seconds when they collectively chanted for more Mac Miller.  After a short amount of time, Mac Miller and his crew swaggered back on stage to DJ Khaled's remix of We Takin' Over and Mac finished out his satisfactory set with his earlier hits, Frick Park Market and Best Day Ever.  These had the millennial crowd hopping and left me leaving wanting just a little more.

Mac Miller's major label debut, GO:OD A.M., is out on Warner Bros. Records in stores and online.

REVIEWER BIAS:  I have followed Malcolm McCormick's progression from his early days as  a top 40 frat rapper (which I detested) to a full-fledged hip-hop artist.  His artistry first registered with me on his 2013 project, Watching Movies With the Sound Off.  When he followed this release up with the mixtape Faces, I began to see Mac as the "real deal" as his maturation both as a rapper and a producer was remarkable. Faces became one of my top 10 favorite releases of 2014.  His newest album, GO:OD A.M., has also impressed me, but I believe that it pales in comparison to many of 2015's biggest Hip-Hop releases including Kendrick Lamar's, To Pimp a Butterfly, Dr. Dre's, Compton, and Vince Staples', Summertime '06.  I respect Mac Miller's progression as an artist, but he still needs to improve further to compete in today's hyper-competitive Hip-Hop climate.

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Chicago MC Mick Jenkins Brings Hard Hitting Rhymes and Rhetoric to 7th Street Entry

Chicago rapper and philosopher of sorts, Mick Jenkins, played to a sold out crowd at First Avenue's 7th Street Entry on Monday.  The intimate venue was well suited for hip-hop and as soon as I entered the crowd had very high energy.  The opening DJ STWO payed numerous contemporary hit which had the crowd excited and singing along.  The opening acts The Mind and J Stock did little more for the crowd other than build anticipation for the main act.

Jenkins did not keep the crowd waiting as he took fewer than five minutes to take the stage after J Stock's set. He immediately jumped in to one of the lead singles from his latest EP Wave[s], Alchemy which was well received by the young and diverse crowd.  Jenkins followed the opener up with a few other cuts from Wave[s] until he stopped to speak to the crowd.

Mick Jenkins is an extremely well spoken and conscious rapper and his intelligence showed in his numerous monologues throughout the night.  Before he played tracks from his most famous mixtape, The Water[s], Jenkins hyped the crowd with a little bit of call-and-response followed by an eloquent explanation of the meaning behind the water metaphor.  He talked about the water as truth and likened the phrase "drink more water" to "seek more truth."  He talked on the importance of the truth in an age where social media constructions and media spin dominate public opinion.  Although some might have seen these talks as long-winded, I was quite intrigued.

After a few more songs from Wave[s], Jenkins let the crowd know that his latest EP was always intended to be a "tie-over" piece in anticipation of his upcoming commercial debut, [T]he [H]ealing [C]omponent.  He went on to explain that his newest project will consist of 13 songs which each cover a different topic.  From race relations to love, Jenkins promised a more focused project than anything that has preceded it.  Jenkins then went into arguably his biggest hit, THC from The Water[s].  Jenkins ended the high-energy set with Free Nation Rebel Soldier from his first mixtape, Trees and Truth, followed by a Social Network which was released as a collaboration with the Chicago group, Hurt Everybody.  It was a banging, bouncing end to a great night.

© 2015 Cameron Mielke

REVIEWER BIAS: I will admit that I am a pretty avid Mick Jenkins fan and I thought that The Water[s] was the best hip-hop mixtape of 2014.  I went in to the concert not knowing what to expect given my lukewarm feelings on Wave[s], but I was pleasantly surprised by his stage presence and passion for what he raps about.