Mac Miller
Clarke Tolton for Rolling Stone
Mac Miller‘s family wants the late rapper’s favorite records to reach his fans. On Wednesday, Miller’s estate announced that it will officially release Balloonerism, a full-length album Miller made in 2014, on Jan. 17, 2025.
“It is a project that was of great importance to Malcolm – to the extent that he commissioned artwork for it and discussions concerning when it should be released were had regularly,” read the estate’s statement, “though ultimately GO:OD AM and subsequent albums ended up taking precedence.”
“We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist,” the estate continued. “Given that unofficial versions of the album have circulated online for years and that releasing Balloonerism was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world.”
Miller worked on Balloonerism around the same time as Faces, the 2014 mixtape that many consider to be his best work. At the time, Miller released Faces as a free digital download, although his family dropped the project on streaming services and vinyl in 2021. Instead of going with Balloonerism, Miller dropped GO:OD AM, his first release while signed to Warner, in 2015.
Miller’s estate first teased the Balloonerism drop during Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw, when an animated trailer — featuring “The Song That Changed Everything” with SZA and “5 Dollar Pony Rides” — played on screens before Tyler took the stage for his headlining set.
Miller’s estate shared the trailer on YouTube, which splices clips of a little boy and his sprawling imaginary life of human-like animals going on a journey through a carnival. “I’ve been runnin’, runnin’ runnin’/Running ’round,” he sings throughout the trailer. The video then jumps to the album cover as “5 Dollar Pony Rides” plays in the background.
Miller’s website offers several versions of the project for presale, including a $150 deluxe edition with foil-wrapped slipcase, a 3D pop-up centerfold, a 32-page booklet of photos and lyrics, a poster, and a white splatter cloud vinyl. The site also lists a clear $40 vinyl, and a $15 CD.
Since Miller died of an overdose in 2018, his family has slowly approved the release of several of Miller’s projects, starting with the 2019 song “Time” alongside Kali Uchis and Free Nationals. They followed that song’s drop with Circles, the album he was working on to accompany Swimming, in 2020. That same year, the estate made K.I.D.S available on streaming services for its 10th anniversary.
From Rolling Stone US.
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