In his early days, Mac Miller introduced the world to a young, talented rapper who no doubt had a long road ahead of him. His initial potential is finally realized in his third studio album, GO:OD AM, which shows the growth and slow maturation of a rapper still struggling to find his place in the world. It is a culmination of his life so far, touching on his rise to fame, his fall into drug addiction and the long, painful road ahead of him. Although this album is less melancholy than its predecessor, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, GO:OD AM’s ’90s-inspired beats, coupled with the smooth, slow instrumentals on some of the songs, bring out a tone of misery across the album. This highlights Miller’s struggles over the past few years and lets the audience see into his world.
From the opening track onward, Mac Miller gives us a slow, methodic beat that builds upon each individual sound, letting the listener know that they are waking up from a long dream and finally trying to see the world for what it really is. “Doors” flows almost seamlessly into “Brand Name,” where Miller finally awakens to a buzzing alarm clock and then, without skipping a single beat, plunges into the kind of verses and rhymes that say he is now on a new level.
“We in between heaven and hell/ F--- your nine to five I’d rather end up dead or in jail.” The simple opener to “Brand Name” shows Mac Miller’s evolution. He hits every single note and beat precisely. His verses are crisp, rhymes on point and his overall tone much more serious and clean than before.
The album builds on itself throughout the first half, and on “Rush Hour” and “Two Matches” one can start to see the direction which the album is trying to take, and “100 Grandkids,” with its unforgettable orchestral opener and metaphors, is perhaps the best song on the album. Then the sound tapers off with “Time Flies (feat. Lil B)” and “Weekend (feat. Miguel),” introducing a slower tone with the same messages.
Miller picks up where he left off with hard-hitting beats and shouting verses on “In the Bag” and “Break the Law.” “Perfect Circle / God Speed” is the shining, yet hidden, star of this album. He asks the listener to judge others, whether their life is a “perfect circle” or not. That, coupled with the piano and soulful singing in the background, leaves the listener with something few beats have done over the year.
In his last few tracks on the album, Miller reiterates what he said in the beginning of the album, including all the highs and lows in his life. “Ascension” highlights his rise to fame in rap, and the struggles he had to go through along the way.
This isn’t to say the album is without its flaws. Some of the songs feel cluttered and rushed, such as “ROS,” which feels as though it were hastily thrown together with too much of everything by the time the song is done. “The Festival (feat. Little Dragon)” is an underwhelming outro to an otherwise great album. Despite the feature, it falls short of the album’s greatness by sounding too random and sporadic to leave the listener feeling pleased.
Despite the few flaws with the album, GO:OD AM is by far Mac Miller’s best work, and his evolution from Blue Slide Park up until now has told the story of an ambitious rapper who, after all the struggles, may finally have found a place for himself.
Rating: B+
