Malcolm McCormick, also known by his stage name Mac Miller, was an American… Read Full Bio ↴Malcolm McCormick, also known by his stage name Mac Miller, was an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was also a noted record producer under the pseudonym Larry Fisherman. Raised Jewish and teaching himself music from a young age, McCormick defied the stereotypes of hip-hop and released his first mixtape under the name EZ Mac, titled "But My Mackin' Ain't Easy" in 2007, when McCormick was only fifteen. He released many more in his lifetime, including "K.I.D.S." in 2010, which earned Mac widespread attention in the hip-hop scene, and "Best Day Ever" in 2011, which featured the hit single "Donald Trump".

He was signed to Pittsburgh-based Rostrum Records and released his debut album Blue Slide Park on November 8, 2011, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 despite being released completely independently. He released five studio albums in his lifetime, which all peaked in the top 5, along with a posthumous album titled "Circles" with help from producer Jon Brion and Miller's family.

In 2013, Miller released his second studio album, "Watching Movies With the Sound Off". The album featured artists such as Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler the Creator, Ab-Soul, and long-time friend Schoolboy Q. The album took a more personal approach compared to his previous works.

In 2014, Miller released the 24-track mixtape "Faces". Considered by many to be one of his best works, he explores themes of drug use, employing and featuring collaborators of Mac from his previous album, including Schoolboy Q and Earl Sweatshirt, but also sees new faces such as Rick Ross.

In 2015, Mac released his third studio album, "GO:OD AM", his first with new label Warner Records. The album featured a more energetic and vibrant theme than "Faces" and "Watching Movies With The Sound Off", reflecting a more optimistic, redemptive angle on his personal life, while maintaining elements of his introspective and thought-provoking style from earlier works.

In 2016, Miller released his fourth studio album, titled "The Divine Feminine". He explores themes of love and femininity, largely influenced by his relationship with Ariana Grande at the time and featuring appearances from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Anderson Paak.

In August 2018, following major events in Miller's life, including his breakup with Ariana Grande, with Miller's drug addiction alleged to be a contributing factor, as well as a car crash incident in which McCormick was charged with a DUI, Miller released his fifth and final studio album during his lifetime titled "Swimming". Continuing the dive into his personal life, Miller explores his heartfelt struggles and grief in the past, but remains optimistic for the future. Swimming was nominated for Best Rap Album posthumously at the 2019 Grammy Awards.

Miller had struggled with substance abuse for a long time before his death. On September 7, 2018, he was found dead in his home in Los Angeles, California from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol, only a little over a month after the release of "Swimming". He was only 26 years old. McCormick was buried in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Miller's passing was largely unexpected and had a large impact on the hip-hop community as a whole, with many paying their respects to Miller. On October 31, 2018, a tribute concert, titled "Mac Miller: A Celebration of Life", featured renowned artists and many longtime collaborators of Miller including Travis Scott, Schoolboy Q, SZA, Chance the Rapper, and Earl Sweatshirt. The concert was a celebration of the late rapper's life and musical achievements, and all profits were donated to the Mac Miller Circles Fund, which provides young people from underprivileged backgrounds with opportunities to explore arts and music.

In January 2020, Miller's posthumous album titled "Circles", worked on in companionship with his album "Swimming", was announced on January 8 along with the single "Good News" and released later that month. Every track on the album was accompanied by a video of the same name, often with psychedelic imagery and images of Mac before his passing and throughout his life. With a more melancholic theme compared to his previous works, the album was well-received by fans and critics alike, renowned for the care placed in continuing Mac's artistic vision.

And, he did it all without a Drake feature.

Angels
Mac Miller Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yeah
Yeah, um
Uh
Ladies and gentlemen
Yeah
Whew, that drip
Yeah, okay

Writin' on writer's block, haven't slept in days
They wanna put me in the psycho watch, everyone's afraid
Of what I do inside my studio, worried I'ma lose control
They rufflin' my feathers and they shufflin' the Yu-Gi-Oh
Execution flow, at your neck like new cologne
Uno, dos, bitch, I'm in your head like Freddy Krueger though
My brain fried, always chasin' the same high
I'm too fucked up to function, do nothin' but waste time
Woke up annihilated, lyin' on the pavement
Covered in items I regurgitated under a fire escape
And I know that it's Friday, 'cause every Friday they have a parade
In-front of city hall, hear 'em celebrate, they havin' a ball
My pupils dilated, highly dehydrated, I'm lost inside a giant matrix
Isolate myself from eyes I find contagious
Jump above the comedown
I'm strung out, noddin' off inside the dugout

Don't be scared, just come with me, yeah
Feels so good to feel this free
What are you afraid of?
Tell me what you made of
What are you afraid of?
It's just a little angel dust
La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da
La-da-da-da, la-da-da (just a little angel dust)
La-da-da-da (yeah), la-da-da-da (yeah)
La-da-da-da, ayy (it's just a little angel dust)

Yeah
I'm playin' hot potato on a Winnebago
The chips are stale, they taste okay though when they dipped in queso
And what's an angel with a missin' halo?
She would drop outta school to take a trip to DayGlow
Found a twenty layin' by the sewer rats
You know little Stuart hasn't been in any movies lately
He's spent his paychecks on cocaine and latex
His agent workin' hard to try and book him a commercial
What I do should not concern you, do this 'til I turn blue
Not Eric Sermon, I'm more Merlin, curses turn 'em into bird food
Hurry to make the first move, I'm walkin' like Herschel
And now we at the end of verse two, oh

Don't be scared, just come with me, yeah
Feels so good to feel this free
What are you afraid of? (Woo)
Tell me what you made of (yeah)
What are you afraid of?
It's just a little angel dust
La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da (yeah)
La-da-da-da, la-da-da (said it's just a little angel dust)
La-da-da-da, la-da-da-da
La-da-da-da, ayy (it's just a little angel dust)

Don't fuck with the angel dust
Don't fuck with the angel dust
Please don't fuck with the angel dust
Oh

Please don't fuck with the angel dust
(Aw shit)

Overall Meaning

The song "Angels" by Mac Miller is a melancholic rap featuring curious and surrealistic lyrics. The song talks about the creativeness of Mac Miller and his love for music. He mentions how he goes long hours without sleeping just to write songs that express how he feels. However, people around him feel worried about him, and they want to put him in a mental asylum. He also goes on to say how he isolates himself from people to avoid picking up their vibe. Furthermore, Mac Miller talks about the use of marijuana and other substances via lines such as, "My brain fried, always chasin' the same high," which shows how he is struggling with addiction. The chorus goes on to say, "don't be scared, just come with me," which is a kind of nostalgic occurrence or feeling that someone might feel while on LSD or a psychotropic trip.

The song "Angels" is from Mac Miller's sixth and final album, "Circles." Mac Miller passed away in September 2018, and his family released "Circles" posthumously in January 2020.

Line by Line Meaning

Writin' on writer's block, haven't slept in days
Struggling with writer's block and insomnia

They wanna put me in the psycho watch, everyone's afraid
People are afraid of what he's capable of and want to put him in an insane asylum

Of what I do inside my studio, worried I'ma lose control
People are worried he will lose control in his recording studio

They rufflin' my feathers and they shufflin' the Yu-Gi-Oh
People are aggravating him and distracting him

Execution flow, at your neck like new cologne
He has a killer flow and it's as sharp as new cologne

Uno, dos, bitch, I'm in your head like Freddy Krueger though
His lyrics are haunting and unforgettable, like Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street

My brain fried, always chasin' the same high
He's addicted to drugs and is constantly chasing the same high

I'm too fucked up to function, do nothin' but waste time
He's too high to do anything productive

Woke up annihilated, lyin' on the pavement
He got so high that he passed out on the sidewalk

Covered in items I regurgitated under a fire escape
He vomited under a fire escape and got things all over himself

And I know that it's Friday, 'cause every Friday they have a parade
He knows it's Friday because there's a parade every week on Fridays

In-front of city hall, hear 'em celebrate, they havin' a ball
The parade is in front of City Hall and everyone is having a good time

My pupils dilated, highly dehydrated, I'm lost inside a giant matrix
He's super high and dehydrated, and feels lost in the world

Isolate myself from eyes I find contagious
He avoids people he finds to be negative influences

Jump above the comedown
He wants to avoid the negative feelings and come down from his high

I'm strung out, noddin' off inside the dugout
He's so high that he's nodding off in the dugout (presumably of a baseball field)

Don't be scared, just come with me, yeah
He's trying to convince someone to join him in his drug use

Feels so good to feel this free
Using drugs makes him feel free

What are you afraid of?
He's asking someone why they're scared to try drugs

Tell me what you made of
He's challenging them to see if they are strong enough to handle drugs

It's just a little angel dust
He's downplaying the danger of the drug (PCP)

I'm playin' hot potato on a Winnebago
He's casually doing drugs in a Winnebago (a type of RV)

The chips are stale, they taste okay though when they dipped in queso
The food is not great, but it's still edible when dipped in queso (a sauce)

And what's an angel with a missin' halo?
The missing halo is an allusion to the drug (angel dust)

Found a twenty layin' by the sewer rats
He found $20 on the ground by sewage-dwelling rats

You know little Stuart hasn't been in any movies lately
A random aside about a guy named Stuart who hasn't been in movies

He's spent his paychecks on cocaine and latex
Stuart is using his money to buy drugs instead of investing in his career

His agent workin' hard to try and book him a commercial
Despite his drug use, Stuart's agent is still trying to get him work

What I do should not concern you, do this 'til I turn blue
He's telling someone to mind their own business and let him do drugs until he dies

Not Eric Sermon, I'm more Merlin, curses turn 'em into bird food
He's saying his lyrics are powerful, like a curse that could turn someone into bird food

Hurry to make the first move, I'm walkin' like Herschel
He's moving fast and confident, like Herschel (possibly Herschel Walker, a famous football player)

Don't fuck with the angel dust
He's warning people not to mess with the dangerous drug (PCP)

Please don't fuck with the angel dust
He's pleading with people not to try the drug

(Aw shit)
A random moment of exclamation at the end

Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Malcolm James McCormick, Josh Berg, Thad Jones

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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