I’ve been spoiled by Mac Miller’s musical growth and astounding development since high school. Since his release of K.I.D.S., the mixtape that put him on the map, he’s dropped a couple of masterpieces - namely, Macadelic and Faces - two tapes that really never got the (public) attention they warranted. The Divine Feminine is Mac’s fourth studio album (his second since signing to Warner Bros. Records), a body of work that far surpasses his previous album drops.
Mac’s never been too shy about the sexual themes, and that persists through this project. TDF is definitely a “sexy” album from top to bottom. One constant is the allusion to the power of “her” (the “feminine”?) - a power great enough to bring him to his knees, to challenge his confidence and independence, and to immerse him into new worlds (ie. “Planet God Damn”). Simply, it’s an album of love and vulnerability. The candidness of "Congratulations" - highlighting the ups and downs of Mac's relationship with former girlfriend, Naomi, The vulnerability is familiar, but being as Mr. McCormick never releases a project we’ve heard from him before, there was so much newness to be found! Most strikingly, he’s singing… A LOT. With that somehow endearing, raspy voice, Mac’s singing has never really seemed out of place. However, his projects have only contained glimpses of that singing. But for now, it seems he’s dropped BARS for some singing and funk/soul, jazzy vibes, and he’s taken to that sound incredibly well. With some help from many friends, old and new, Mac’s been able to produce a sound that the average fan wouldn’t think him to be capable of. The soulful vibes of the album can be attributed to many - CeeLo Green with his vocals, Robert Glasper on the piano, Keyon Harrold with lots of horns, Dam Funk (who speaks for himself), Thundercat (whose collaboration with Mac is real familiar), etc… - but mainly to the additional production of Phony Ppl’s Aja Grant out of NYC. And there’s the ever beautiful appreciation he has for the chemistry and fun in working with girlfriend Ariana Grande; there seems to be a lot of creative potential there (and she wonderfully opens the album). His working with artists so established in their fields, despite being so unfamiliar to him in a collaborative context, while maintaining his voice and being able to executively produce an album so different than his past work shows immense growth as an artist and musician. Not many rappers are able to expand their prowess into the world of soul music and have some success there.
The title, “The Divine Feminine” was cause for pause upon its announcement - like, where’s Mac going with this? Almost seven months later, the questions are still popping up: “So, what’s Mac saying? He’s a feminist now?”. That’s not quite where he went here. It’d be a bold claim, in this age of quick, thoughtless labeling, to title an album “The Divine Feminine” and uphold it as some kind of understanding of womanhood. It’d also be a tragedy. But for Mac, the “feminine” is his solace, his awakening, sensuality, love… the Universe. After Ariana's intro and short rumblings from Mac (mad love, and a little sex), "the sun don't shine when I'm alone" opens the TDF's first verse, shedding some light on his discovery that there's a lot more to life, and love, than his individual walk; tackling life's dealings solo is something very familiar to Mac Miller. He's no longer playing the role of the dude who slides into DMs and has sexual escapades to add to his "collection". As he puts it, he's "trying to cuddle the world after sex, not keep the Uber running and dip out", which, through lyrics, seems to be a motive that's carrying over into his romantic journey. It's easy to sum up The Divine Feminine as a story of interpersonal relationships with women/a woman given the abundance of songs centered around loving someone. The ‘feminine’ goes beyond the human, female form and treads along this idea of the energy of the Universe being a feminine one. It's a notion that is at the center of his exploration of love through learning to love himself, those around him (especially lovers), and the entire world around him. A deeper connection with the Universe is his path to a deeper connection with relationships. For Mac, TDF comes out of secluded years holing himself up in a studio, with endless drugs, pushing himself to create work. This is the most recent story of his ongoing recovery - the story of him finally letting life’s love and light (HIS CURRENT HOME IS THE FIRST PLACE WHERE HE’S ALLOWED NATURAL LIGHT INTO HIS STUDIO) into his heart. He’s been exploring love, which is so powerful for any person, and finally expressing that to his listeners in the best way he can.
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