Even today, hip hop continues to reel from the loss of Mac Miller, who tragically passed on a couple of years ago. Today (August 13) happens to be the tenth anniversary of K.I.D.S., Miller’s first project under Rostrum Records that proved to be his breakthough. The project originally saw 17 tracks from the Pittsburgh emcee and contributions from Chevy Woods, ID Labs, Lord Finesse, DT Spacely, and more. Now, fans can now enjoy two additional tracks as part of a special deluxe version of the project, which was recently announced by Rostrum on social media.
Both songs, “Ayye” and “Back In The Day,” definitely gives off a nostalgic vibe from that period in Mac Miller’s career. “Ayye” sees production from E. Dan and sees Miller in a more celebratory mood, while the Will Brown-assisted “Back In The Day” shows the late artist in a more reflective mindset in regards to his still-growing career:
“I used to have a dream, now it seem that I’ma live it in real life, gettin’ free jeans, good weed, feelin’ real nice/
Used to think that I was too short or too dumb, just a newcomer to the game tryna do somethin’, used to runnin’ after ice cream trucks/
But now I just stroll, lacе my Nike’s up, I’m a nice, clean cut, good lookin’ individual, fillin’ up a notebook with rhymes when I be in the school…/”
Mac Miller transitioned back in September of 2018 at his Los Angeles residence. A celebratory concert was held in his honor a month later, with performances from Action Bronson, Rae Sremmurd, Chance The Rapper, Earl Sweatshirt, Travis Scott, and more. Earlier this year, Miller’s posthumous album Circles was released, and achieved both widespread acclaim and a top three spot on the Billboard 200 with 164,000 album equivalent units sold during its first week of release.
Press play on “Ayye” and “Back In The Day” below.