Mac Miller Leads White Boy Rap Generation

The white boy punk-rap stylings of the Beastie Boys have been around since the early 80s, probably the first to delve into the genre. Their songs like “Intergalactic” and “Fight For Your Right” shocked the hip-hop community at first. No one could have guessed that a group of rowdy Brooklyn teenagers would become chart-toppers for two decades straight. Surprisingly and not surprisingly enough, the Beastie Boys and a handful of other white rappers like Rick Ruben and the most embarrassing of the bunch, Vanilla Ice, spurred a steady stream of other rappers attempting to get their music heard.

Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit went on to mix rap with a little bit of rock ‘n roll and heavy metal. On the other end of the spectrum, Eminem started out as a humorous rapper, successfully making his way into the rap industry. He ultimately became a rap icon, allowing him and his listeners to take his work more seriously.

While the Beastie Boys, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit and Eminem all continue to drop noteworthy albums, no newcomers were necessarily making an impact. White rappers in the hip-hop genre sort of fell off the mainstream for quite some time after the late 90s–until recently.

In 2008, Asher Roth popped out a little hit called “I Love College,” leaving college kids across the nation swooning. Not only can Ash write a simple and catchy chorus, but he also can lyricize about social issues, as heard in “G.R.I.N.D. (Get Ready It’s A New Day).” “I Love College” went straight to the Top 40 charts, because it is extremely relatable to a big chunk of the rap/hip-hop audience: college students.

Since Asher Roth, white boy rappers like Mac Miller, Hoodie Allen, Macklemore and Outasight have quickly stolen the hearts of rap/hip-hop/pop fans, bringing potheads and non-marijuana smokers together for one big, happy kumbaya.

Miller’s popularity has grown at a rapid pace over the past year. In 2010, he was just a kid from Pennsylvania jumping through hoops of fire in order to make his dreams come true. Fast forward to Nov. 2011, and his album Blue Slide Park has made it to the #1 slot on the Billboard 200 list.

Is it odd or bewildering that a pale white guy that’s only 20-years-old can spit rhymes, maintain a chill composure and make bank at the same time? Not necessarily. It goes to show that people expect more from the music industry, especially something that has not been done before.

Mac Miller’s success speaks for the struggling rappers and other musicians everywhere…It is possible. Despite his skin color and despite the fact that many of Mac’s songs pertain to weed and girls, he isn’t making millions of dollars for nothing.

For decades, drastic changes attempting to define what hip-hop and rap really is have led us here. There is not just one kind of rap. It can be powerful, relaxing, anguished, raving, fun, depressing, touching or simply pop, lock and drop-worthy.

At the same time, there is not just one kind of rapper. Who says that rappers can only be black? Who says that rappers can only be men? These are invisible boundaries that do not exist. Mac Miller and Seattle-based Macklemore have proven this. As for my ladies, Nicki Minaj, Kreayshawn, Eve and Lil’ Mama (“My lip gloss is cool, my lip gloss is poppin’”) show that females can rule, as well.

Fresh and ready, Mac Miller begun his second international tour just this week on the 11th. He told Rolling Stone, “Making positive music has always been a part of me. For this record, I have made that same positive feel-good music that people are used to, but I’ve been trying different things too.”

We salute you, Mac. We salute you.

Natalie Hicks can be reached at minaret.arts@gmail.com.