Our Top 10 Mac Miller songs list looks at the songs of a brilliant musical artist who catered to the music genre of hip hop from 2009 until his passing in 2018 due to painkiller medication that brought about this tragedy. After the investigation into Miller’s death, it was learned he died from an accidental overdose due to the mix of alcohol, cocaine, and fentanyl. Arrests and convictions were made against three men that were in connection to delivering counterfeit oxycodone when Miller had requested the brand of Percocet, plus cocaine, and Xanax. In Miller’s will, he named his older brother and parents as his beneficiaries.
Mac Miller made it no secret he struggled with substance abuse, who also had a battle against depression. Quoted more than once how he hated sobriety, Miller openly admitted not long before his death that he was living as regularly as possible but not completely clean. Despite this struggle with his personal demons, Mac Miller’s ability to win over the fans and critics enabled him to enjoy a successful career as a rap artist. When he made his first big breakthrough in 2011 through his album “Blue Slide Park,” it peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200’s album chart. It also became certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Music Canada (MC).
In total, Mac Miller had recorded and released a total of six studio albums, two live albums, two extended plays (EPs), thirteen mix tapes, and forty-three singles. The most commercially successful album from Mac Miller was the August 3, 2018 release of “Swimming,” which occurred just before his death of that same year in September. It earned Gold with Music Canada, Recorded Music New Zealand (RMNZ), British Phonographic Industry (BPI), and IFPI Danmark. As with the RIAA, the album earned Platinum.
Top 10 Mac Miller Songs
#10 – The Spins
The fourth mixtape “K.I.D.S.” coming from Mac Miller was originally released in 2010 but later commercialized and re-released on April 29, 2020. The song “The Spins” never did chart when it first came out in 2010, but it did achieve Gold Certification by the RIAA for having over 500,000 copies sold. All of K.I.D.S. showcases Mac Miller’s talent before getting signed with record producers that would help him become a world-class rap artist.
#9 – Party on Fifth Ave.
The single “Party on Fifth Ave.” comes from Mac Miller’s debut album “Blue Slide Park,” which was released in 2011. It reached fourth place on the US Billboard Heatseekers Songs chart and at sixty-fourth place on the US Billboard Hot 100. The amount of copies sold has so far been over 500,000, which makes it certified Gold according to the RIAA. This song features the main loop from the 1987 song “The 900 Number,” which came from DJ Mark and the 45 King. The original loop where DJ Mark got his inspiration from actually came from Marva Whitney’s 1967 song “Unwind Yourself.”
#8 – Loud (featuring Benny Banks)
Coming from the 2012 mixed tape “Macadelic” is the single “Loud,” which peaked on the US Billboard Hot 100 at fifty-third place. Since its release, the song has become certified Gold by the RIAA for having over 500,000 copies sold so far. Loud peaked at its best with the US Billboard Heatseekers chart at number one. There are three different digital downloads available for this song where one is classified explicit, the other clean, and the third includes the talent of Benny Banks.
#7 – Knock Knock
The first of Mac Miller’s songs to become certified as a single is “Knock Knock,” which came from the fifth mixed tape “K.I.D.S.” The tape was released on August 13, 2010, and the single appeared on the Canadian Hot 100 in seventy-first place. With the US Billboard Top 100, it placed as high as eighty-eighth place. While the song’s chart appearance doesn’t seem so stellar, the number of copies made it certified Platinum with the RIAA.
#6 – Weekend (featuring Miguel)
The single “Weekend” was a dual performance between Mac Miller and Miguel, which was released from Miller’s 2015 album “GO:OD AM” The album itself had since become certified Gold while the single sold enough copies to become certified Platinum, both by the RIAA. On the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Weekend peaked at forty-sixth place. Both fans and critics of Mac Miller seem to mutually agree this song seemed to serve as a subconscious cry for help from the artist as he continued to battle against substance abuse that he never was able to overcome.
#5 – Donald Trump
While the music charts may not have been so favorable with the single “Donald Trump,” the number of copies made the final say as it earned the RIAA’s Platinum Certification and the IFPI Danmark’s Gold Certification. This comes from Mac Miller’s sixth mixed tape recording “Best Day Ever,” which was released on March 11, 2011. Miller’s drive behind the song revolved around his desire to be as successful as the man who later became president of the United States in 2016.
For years, Miller and Trump feuded over the song where Trump felt he deserved royalties due to his name being the song’s title. Miller made it clear the song wasn’t about Trump at all as the name pick wasn’t important, pointing out he could have just as easily used the name of Bill Gates instead. It wasn’t about the person whom he was aiming to be as successful as, but rather the monetary achievement that was made.
#4 – Blue World
The most recent studio album “Circles” was released in 2020, a year and a half after Mac Miller’s death. The single “Blue World” was originally sent to rhythmic contemporary, which features a mix of various music genres with the exception of country and rock. On the charts, this song performed at its best with New Zealand’s Hot Singles as it placed in sixth. On the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it peaked at number twenty-two and with the US Billboard Hot 100 at thirty-eight.
#3 – Self Care
Mac Miller’s fifth studio album “Swimming” was released not long before his death in September 2018 that would stun the artist’s music fans and critics. The second of three official singles coming from this album proved to be Miller’s most successful as it reached triple Platinum Certification with the RIAA, as well as Silver Certification from BPI. “Self Care” came out July 2013, not long before the album itself was released in August. On the music charts, it charted to eighteenth on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at thirty-third on the US Billboard Hot 100.
#2 – Good News
Coming from Mac Miller’s sixth and final studio album “Circles,” which was released on January 17, 2020, is the single “Good News.” Sung by what critics describe as a sullen Mac Miller, the lead single peaked at number one on Belgium’s Ultratop music chart. This internationally acclaimed was also placed as high as tenth with the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hip Songs chart and with the US Billboard Hot 100 at seventeenth. The single sold enough copies to become certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album has already become certified Gold due to over 60,000 copies sold so far.
#1 – The Way -Ariana Grande feat Mac Miller
The duet performance with Mac Miller for the hit single “The Way” comes from Ariana Grande’s 2013 debut album “Yours Truly.” For both artists, this was the first single that would break into the top ten list on the US Billboard Hot 100, which peaked at ninth place. On the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40, it charted as high as twelfth. The Way charted globally, doing as well as an eighth place on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and as low as sixty-sixth with Japan’s Hot 100. Sold as a single, The Way earned triple Platinum with the RIAA, single Platinum with Music Canada, as well as Gold with the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), and Silver with the BPI. Despite this song’s success story, it doesn’t come without controversy. A copyright lawsuit was filed against Grande and Miller by a group known as Music Minder almost immediately after the song hit the radio waves. The matter was settled in 2015 out of court with minimal detail to determine a clear winner due to a confidentiality agreement both sides of the argument made.