Mac Miller recently spoke to HipHopDX on a variety of subjects, including his favourite albums, the possibility of signing to a major label, his expectations for "Blue Slide Park" , and working with Q-tip. Here are the parts you're probably most interested in....
On Expectations for "Blue Slide Park":
I think that expectations ruin albums because you expect artists to this and they do that and you expect them to do that and they do this and you go in listening expecting something and if it’s not what you expect, all of the sudden it’s not good to you. I just think that the most important thing when listening to any project, not just mine, is for people to learn to just go in with an open mind and not what they want it to be but just listen to what it is.
On the Possibility of Signing to a Major Label:
I think at some point in my career, yeah man because I think it’s just like a certain step to take but maybe not. It all depends like if we’re like, if no one’s ever done anything like this independently so if we do pull it off, then fuck a major you know what I’m saying? We don’t need one. But you know at the end of the day we’ll see what we can do. If it’s actually impossible to hit platinum record’s iconic status independently, then I’m going to have to go to a major at some point but I really hope that I can do it independently. It’s really up to my fans. I am going to work as hard as I can to push this thing forward but it’s up to my fans or my street team. If they want to go tell their friends about me and get their friends to become fans then maybe we can do it all independently.
On His Top Five Albums:
It’s hard for me to pick, you know what I’m saying? But if I had to just pick five albums real quick because I mean it depends on how I’m feeling one day. One day it could be these five or another it could be these five but if we were just talking about five Hip Hop albums of all-time, in no order, I would just say [Big L's] Lifestylez, [Notorious B.I.G.'s] Ready To Die, [Nas'] Illmatic, [Outkast's] Aquemini and [A Tribe Called Quest's] Midnight Marauders.
On Who He'd Like to Work With in the Future:
Andre 3000 without a doubt, he’s just dope. Nelly Furtado because I think that would be cool and Missy Elliot. I already have some stuff in the works with Q-Tip, which he is like one of my favorites of all time you know Tribe is like, that is my soundtrack to my life you know?
Read the interview in its entirety here