This past weekend at the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, fans got a taste of a new Mac Miller album called Ballooning. The late rapper's estate has now made it official, announcing that the posthumous album will be released on January 17 via Warner. Check out a trailer for the album and check out its cover art below.
Miller, whose real name was Malcolm James McCormick, worked Ballooning amid the 2013-2015 run he produced Watch movies with the sound off, Delusional Thomas, Facesand GO: AND MORNING. His family explained:
Many of Malcolm's fans know this ballooning, a full-length album Malcolm created around the time of its release Faces in 2014. It's a project that meant a lot to Malcolm—to the extent that he commissioned artwork from it, and discussions about when it should be released were regular, though eventually GO: AND MORNING and subsequent albums ended up taking precedence.
We believe the project showcases both the range of his musical talents and his fearlessness as an artist. Given that unofficial versions of the album have been circulating online for years and that it's been released Ballooning was something that Malcolm often expressed was important to him, we felt it was most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world. With that in mind, we're happy to announce it Ballooning will be released on January 17, 2025.
Mac Miller died in September 2018, aged 26, shortly after the release of Swimming—an album nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Circleshis posthumous partner Swimmingreleased on Friday January 17, 2020.
Revisit Alphonse Pierre's “Mac and Me: Coming of Age With Mac Miller's Music” on Pitch.
