On the track вЂњTwo Matches,вЂќ Miller one-ups Ab-SoulвЂ™s strong feature with a silky smooth flow and internal rhymes: вЂњEven the brightest mind will hang around at dark sometimes/ I had to fight for mine, Tyson in his prime, used to idolize/ Had to write my wrongs, the dayвЂ™s short, the nightвЂ™s is long/ IвЂ™m makinвЂ™ corpses when itвЂ™s on/ And eatinвЂ™ swordfish from gigantic portions/ Lord is important, but I am stronger/ IвЂ™m a monster with a heart of a lion divide and conquer/ Walk on water, it wonвЂ™t be long till IвЂ™m flyinвЂ™, thatвЂ™s my departure.вЂќ Along with Ab-Soul are the likes of Lil B, Miguel, Chief Keef and Little Dragon, all providing strong features in their own rights: Lil B preaches on вЂњTime Flies,вЂќ Miguel flawlessly ends вЂњWeekendвЂќ with his solid singing, Chief Keef offers a surprisingly tame verse on вЂњCut the CheckвЂќ and Little Dragon soothingly rounds out the album on the final track, вЂњThe Festival.вЂќ Accompanied by his signature vibe melodies, Miller shows his evolution as a rapper and flaunts his lyrical prowess with smart rhymes and impressive rhyme schemes. Save for one track, вЂњWhen In Rome,вЂќ each song is solely held up by his lyrical abilities and smooth flow, rather than straight-up banging beats and catchy hooks. вЂњ GO:OD AMвЂќ starts out with Miller groggily waking up, which is masterfully depicted through Odd FutureвЂ™s Tyler, the CreatorвЂ™s production, and quickly picks up with вЂњBrand Name.вЂќ Throughout the album, beats and melodies vary in certain degrees, but overall present the idea that Miller is no longer the stereotypical party rapper.

He lays the groundwork for the rest of his album, an eloquent account of his slow ascent to his own heaven. In the song, Miller declares that even though he hasnвЂ™t completely overcome his problems, heвЂ™s definitely in a better place, chasing after the light at the end of the tunnel. вЂњDoors,вЂќ a laid-back yet powerful track, kicks off the album. On the final track of вЂњFaces,вЂќ he even goes as far as to wonder aloud how he is still alive, with lyrics such as: вЂњIвЂ™m a bit surprised that IвЂ™m even still alive/ Mixin uppers and downers, practically suicide.вЂќ Fast forward to вЂњGO:OD AMвЂќ and we see Miller waking up from a bad trip. A product of the rap industry, Miller has revealed throughout his more recent projects that he was slowly losing his battle against drugs. Miller has come out in interviews and even on his preceding mixtape, вЂњFaces,вЂќ about his substance abuse problems and resulting depression. In case youвЂ™ve been sleeping on the Pittsburgh phenom, Mac Miller has recently dropped his third studio album, вЂњGO:OD AM.вЂќ Serving as a wake-up call for himself and anyone else struggling with the same problems, вЂњGO:OD AMвЂќ takes us deep into the mind of a rapper who is on his climb up from the brink of death. Mac groggily wakes up from a long nightmare, ready to educate the world.

Kevin Kim, Staff Writer | November 3, 2015

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