Mac Miller’s post-death album, Circles, which was meant to be a companion to his last LP, “Swimming” was released on January 17th, according to a note from Miller’s family on the late rapper’s Instagram. Miller was working on Circles at the time of his death in 2018 and his family noted that the LP was supposed to have a distinct, but still complementary sound to Swimming with the overall concept being “Swimming in Circles.” As we patiently await the release of Circles, we rank Mac’s best albums of all time from top to bottom.

Blue Slide Park (2011)

This was Mac’s first album when he was bursting onto the scene as a young Pittsburgh-based party rapper. It is the sound that personified Miller, the sound that incorporated his whole new outlook to life with fame and money. While it was his first, and he certainly perfected his craft more through the years, nothing compares to the original for us. Smile back!

Swimming (2018)

Seven years after he released his first album, he dropped Swimming, the last album he released while still alive. This album reveals the true musical genius side of Mac Miller. He incorporated the use of different flows and musical beats that juxtaposed the typical rap sounds we are accustomed to. It is also the deepest album he released, both lyrically and musically, as he truly reflected, in one album, on all his life experiences to date. Still can’t listen to “2009” without getting goosebumps.

The Divine Feminine (2016)

This album is where we saw Miller transition into a more musical rapper, the one on full display on Swimming. He added more singing hooks to his smooth rap flows, and his messages were more profound than those of the middle albums, which were the more wavy trippy albums. (They’re ranked below.) It was his shortest album and featured his girlfriend at the time, Ariana Grande, on a track. “Dang!” Anderson.Paak was the track that really did it for us – demonstrating Miller’s growth into a different level rapper.

GO:OD AM (2015)

On his third studio album GO:OD AM, Miller’s former image as a carefree party rapper is subdued. His long-standing battle with substance abuse, insomnia, and his borderline obsessive dedication to his craft is displayed on nearly every track. GO:OD AM is as much of a musical exorcism than it is an exploration of boom-bap/jazz fusion that he would incorporate on The Divine Feminine and Swimming. It was a transitional album for Mac, which would set the tone for the second half of his career.

Watching Movies With the Sound Off (2013)

It was clear Miller was getting a little wild and crazy with all his early fame. This second album was cut from a similar cloth as his first. It’s clear when you go back and listen that Mac Miller’s personal life was starting to get out of hand. This was a classic sophomore slump album, but it wasn’t a bust by any means. The album had great features with Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q and Action Bronson getting on tracks.