Best Songs From Mac Miller’s “Faces”
Intro:
After a long wait, Mac Miller’s classic mixtape is finally available on digital-streaming services. This project is beloved by Mac fans, and is generally considered a hidden gem in his catalogue. It’s been roughly 3 years since the Pittsburg rapper passed away. Personally, this is probably my favorite of his & it was difficult trying to rank my favorite songs. With that said, here are my Top 5 track from Mac Miller’s recent re-release.
Honorable Mentions: Uber (10), Apparition (9), Malibu (8), Wedding (7), Rain (6)
5. New Faces v2 (ft. Earl Sweatshirt & Da$h)
It’s always great seeing Mac & Earl collaborating on either’s tracklists. New Faces v2 might be one of their best songs together, if not the best. This track also features Da$h, and features amazing verses from all three artists. The production here is very engaging & loud compared to some of the other songs on the project. Overall, it’s an easy standout from an otherwise amazing tracklist.
“All my life I've been afraid of power, where did all that go?” ~ Mac
4. Angel Dust
This one gives me so many memories from my past. A lot of the reason I have this song so high is based on nostalgia, but the song itself still proves to be one of the best quality wise. Thematically, the song details Mac’s drug abuse & struggles with controlling these temptations. The chorus here is very playful, despite it’s dark subject matter. With knowledge of how he died, it’s almost ominous listening to the track now.
“Writin' on writer's block, haven't slept in days
They wanna put me in the psycho watch, everyone's afraid”
3. Friends (ft. ScHoolboy Q)
This one is definitely my 2nd most played from the entire project. Here, Mac gives an update on the current status of his life over a very chill sample-looped beat. The song is very jazzy & gives listener’s a smooth sonic experience. As the title suggests, the song features lines about his friends & loved ones. Schoolboy Q appears to give an obnoxious chorus that only adds even more character to a solid song.
“Snowflakes keep fallin' on my expired debit cards
Don't know why I'm still awake, I gotta be up at ten tomorrow”
2. Happy Birthday
Do you listen to this song every year on your birthday, or is it just me? Happy Birthday is another Mac Miller song that has tons of replay value. The song starts off by describing a birthday party where the guests are mainly there for the partying than the actual celebration. This could be a metaphor for his surface level fans, friends, etc. only enjoying him for the moment. On the second verse, Mac asks crucial questions & explores deeper ideas that he’s actually personally invested in. The concept alone makes the song a treat, and sonically is one of the best on the project.
“There's a birthday party happening upstairs
And it's all for me, who the fuck cares?”
1. Diablo
Finally, we have one of this mixtapes’s standout tracks. Diablo is actually one of my favorite songs ever, and features some of the best rapping we’ve heard from him. It’s another jazzy hip-hop instrumental that fits the rest of the tracks, and has some weird psychedelic elements to it (Ex: Beat reverse during verse 2 intro). It all comes together for a song that’s very ominous & grim, yet still fun & impressive to rap along to. Personally, I’d argue this being the best song in his whole discography.
“Contemplatin' suicide like it's a DVD
Lost inside my mind, it's a prison, homie, leave me be”
Overall:
I think it’s clear that we all love & miss the legendary rapper so much. It’s great seeing that his family & team were able to respectfully get this project on the paid-streaming services. I genuinely believe this is his best project (definitely as far as rapping ability), and that made it even harder to narrow the tracklist down to only 5 songs. Hopefully this re-release is reaching Mac fans that never heard/knew about Faces. Thank you all for reading, and listen to Mac Miller’s mixtape linked below.
