By Cameren Brown, Courier Staff Writer
Over the years, Mac Miller has grown to be one of my favorite talents in the rap scene. With his new record “The Divine Feminine”, released September 16 of this year, he takes another step further into experimentation with his music.
Despite the title, this isn’t an album necessarily about femininity. Instead, this is a concept album dealing with the elusive idea of love, its presence in nature, its nuance, and as Mac himself puts it, “the feminine energy of the planet.” What separates this work from his previous works is that Mac didn’t feel the need to reach for any major mainstream hits. He wants the art’s presence to vouch for itself rather than relying on the radio or clubs to make it popular. And if nothing else, that artistic integrity should give this album some respect.
Mac has tackled recurring topics before, but never one that blankets a whole mix-tape or album. Another thing that makes this unique is the purpose of it beyond just listening, as he describes he wants the record to be “a date in itself.”
His preceding works have mostly been in the flavor of the Trip-Hop sub-genre, using more psychedelic-inspired synthesizers and covering darker topics such as drug abuse and depression, a prime example being his single “The Star Room” off of “Watching Movies with the Sound Off”. One will immediately notice the contrast in this new piece as soon as the first song, “Congratulations” enters with seemingly holy chimes which transition into soulful piano keys cozying up to the background as Mac begins. One of the first lines, “I see your eyes look through my soul. Don’t be surprised, that’s all I know,” quickly sets the tone of the work and paints the image of a completely different side to the artist, now being fully explored through the songs.
Many different variants of love are covered: the classically romantic Hollywood kind, the carnal, and of course, the newly lost and found. And these topics are surrounded by the inspirations of jazz, funk, soul, and even R&B. Accompanied by features such as: Ariana Grande, Kendrick Lamar, Cee-Lo Green, producer Thundercat, pianist Robert Glasper, and more, the album is made not only sonically concise and pleasing, but also aesthetically accurate to the inspirations he takes from. One warning that should be issued, however: even though this is technically under the genre of Hip Hop, the rapping is kept more seldom in comparison to his previous works. But, with the lush instrumentation and down-tempo vibe of several songs, the more present singing works to the advantage of the piece overall.
As Mac Miller matures as an artist, this work also helps branch listeners out into a refreshing soundscape that might not be pursued otherwise. Furthermore, “The Divine Feminine” exposes unique and personal perspectives on the many conceptions of love, and is recommended for listening to any fans of Hip Hop who desire something smoother than the average.
