For Mac Miller fans who followed the Pittsburgh rapper's rise from recent high school graduate on his 2010 mixtape K.I.D.S. to his posthumous Circles, released in 2020, the re-release of Faces on digital streaming platforms is a moment of nostalgia -- a blast from the past, when everything felt more simple.
For Mac Miller fans who have recently discovered the seemingly-endless catalogue of music dating back to when he was only 15 and spitting under the name Easy Mac, the re-release of Faces is a look inside the mind of a tortured artist obliged to pour everything he has into a 25-song mixtape.
"Rain," the 20th song on Faces, features longtime Mac friend and collaborator, Vince Staples, and is arguably the most to-the-point record on the entire project.
Between Staples' verse detailing his upbringing in Long Beach and the street politics that come with it, and Miller's deep-dive into his relationship and the pitfalls of mixing love and substances, "Rain" is what Faces is all about. Coming from an early-20s perspective (Miller and Staples were 22 and 20 at the time of Faces' initial release) the record winds through the thought processes of two up-and-coming rappers as they deal with very different, but very painful struggles in life.
Produced by 9th Wonder, "Rain" is one of the few tracks not produced by Larry Fisherman (Miller's production alias) but fits perfectly into the end of the record's tracklist and has had the staying power to remain poignant, even seven years after it was initially released.
Quotable Lyrics
I spit that prayer hand emoji, that sh*t that injured Kobe
The holiest of holy, Nick Nolte in some Oakleys
That's a flex, though
Sober, I can't deal, I'm in the corner with my head low
Running from my shadow, never ending chase
Ease the pain of the battle that's within me
Sniff the same sh*t that got Whitney, the high heel depression
My temple feel the metal coming out the Smith & Wesson, bang
Check out "Rain" and its accompanying visuals, which were debuted last night as part of an audiovisual presentation of Faces and let us know what you think down below.