Mac Miller - Blue Slide Park

Fresh out of Pittsburgh, PA Mac Miller has arrived on the scene with his debut release, Blue Slide Park. The debut from the much buzzed about rap sensation has built up quite a following with his mixtapes and amazing lyrical flow that has made him one of the most buzzed about rap sensations in quite awhile.

The disc starts off strong with the disc's title track, a fast moving, lyrical cavalcade that shows off Mac Miller's amazing vocal rhymes that move at a breakneck speed and show how remarkably talented he is at only 19 years of age. My favorite song off the album is "Party On Fifth Ave.", which uses a sample of "The 900 Number" by DJ Mark The 45 King and is one of the more dance oriented rap tracks found on here that will have you bopping your head all the way throughout. "Frick Park Market" uses more uptempo electronic beats and melds them in with Mac Miller's fast paced rhyming skills that are a joy to behold. "Under The Weather" sees Mac using his clever inventiveness to create a smooth, musically inclined track that brings all the musical elements on a level playing field and allows Mac to easily get his point across without much trouble.

We kick off the disc's second half with "My Team", a pulsating, fist pumping banger that sees Mac throwing it into overdrive here with a fast paced lyrical salvo that will have you sweating bullets by the time the song is over. "Up All Night" is a party ready, laid back jam that sees Mac letting loose a little bit and showing off his upbeat personality on this one. We head into the disc's final tracks with "Missed Calls", a track that is all about the struggles of being out on the road focused on chasing your dream, while your loved one is back at home not coping well with your absence. "Man In The Hat" brings everything together with a lyrical track that shows Mac at his best with fast paced rhymes and lightly tuned beats that show off everything that Mac has to offer you in one unique package. The last song appropriately titled "One Last Thing", brings about a sense of finality and is a great way to wrap up the album and show why Mac Miller is the real deal and a force to be reckoned with down the road. Never before has a new rap artist impressed me as much as Mac Miller has, with his advanced and clever lyrical rhymes leaving nothing to the imagination and constructing that around tightly wound beats that will leave you spellbound once you've listened to the whole album. With over a million Facebook likes and a million Twitter followers as we speak, people are connecting with his music almost instantaneously and is able to draw an immediate connection to the listener and makes it feel like you're actually interacting with him in person. At the young age of 19, Mac Miller is mature beyond his years and is capable of anything in his grasp that is set before him.

All in all, a terrific debut effort here from Mac Miller, who has clearly demonstrated that he has the lyrical chops and the studio craftiness to create deep and resonating hip-hop tracks that are some of the best heard from a new hip-hop artist in quite awhile. I'm positive we'll be hearing more of this gentleman further on down the road.

                                                                                                                         Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. English Lane
2. Blue Slide Park
3. Party on Fifth Ave.
4. PA Nights
5. Frick Park Market
6. Smile Back
7. Under the Weather
8. Of the Soul
9. My Team
10. Up all Night
11. Loitering
12. Hole in My Pocket
13. Diamonds & Gold
14. Missed Calls
15. Man in the Hat
16. One Last Thing