Speaking of Cudi, you almost anticipate his booming baritone to come in. He produced 12 of the 16 songs on Movies, darker, trippier and more nuanced than Blue Slide Park.įor “Red Dot Music”, Miller loops a whiny vocal sample, improvising an intro slightly less interesting than “that ALC shit” - see “ ALC Theme.” “Youforia”, the LP’s closer, is an electronic-inspired number, a combination of Ratatat and Clams Casino - see “ One Last Thing”.
Just like Kid Cudi, Miller now produces his own beats under the moniker Larry Fisherman. Will he follow the path laid out for him, in this case pop stardom? Or will he fall through the cracks, into the underground? Judging from Movies, Miller doesn’t know. Like all young adults, Miller faces a dilemma. The Pittsburgh emcee’s sophomore album is a coming-of-age story, an indecisive work, as Miller struggles to define his aura, his voice. If Blue Slide Park is Miller cutting class, then Watching Movies With The Sound Off is him worrying about flunking out. I guess that’s the advantage of not working for an antisemitic megacorporation. Except unlike Hudgens, Miller has always been upfront about being a pothead. Mac Miller is like the Vanessa Hudgens of the rap game.