September 7^th marked yet another tragic day for the hip-hop community as Malcolm McCormick, better known by his stage name Mac Miller, was discovered dead in his Los Angeles home from an apparent overdose.

“These artists are trying to reach out for help through their music,” remarks Sam Kratz (’19) “but people don’t recognize that until they’re dead.” Headlines reporting the deaths of rappers are becoming all too familiar.

This is only one instance from a handful of cases this year of hip-hop artists dying from overdoses. However, none of the other recently deceased rap-stars found the longevity in their musical careers as that of McCormick. At the age of 26, Mac Miller had been releasing albums for 11 years.

“It caused me to look back on my childhood,” says Niko Trifunovic (’19), “when I was little my brother took my iPod and downloaded some Mac Miller and I bumped it from 5^th grade on.”

Not all Seattle Prep students, however, grew up on Miller’s music. Talking to the Seattle Prep student body makes it evident that the bulk of his work predates the musical interest of most high school students, yet his loss has caused many young people to look back on his career and explore his work. “Looking back, you could see something was wrong… People only really saw what he was about once he was gone.” Says Yale Bonnet (’20).

“He was evolving as an artist…” states Ben De La Cruz (’19) “Regardless of how you feel about him, you never want to see someone like that go.”

Alumni Service Core member Mr. Hanson recalled going through high school while Miller’s music received more attention “I was never a big follower of him… but hearing the news, I was so surprised.”

Senior Matt Wieck reflects that “It’s sad that it took his death for his recent album to rise to the top of the charts.”

Dozens of celebrities and thousands of dedicated fans have also come forward in recent weeks, commending Miller’s character and sharing how their lives were changed by his music. ‘Gone but never forgotten,’ Mac Miller will continue to live on in memory through his music.