Mac Miller

Coming on the scene with a throwback style that betrayed his years, Pittsburgh-based rapper Mac Miller had just turned 18 when he spent 2010 making his name through mixtapes and video sharing websites.

Born Malcolm McCormick, Miller first used the alias "Easy Mac," a name referenced on his debut mixtape, 2007's But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy. His K.I.D.S. mixtape became his breakthrough when it was released in August of 2010, earning plenty of attention from hip-hop blogs and landing Miller a recording contract with Rostrum Records. Rostrum released his debut EP On and On and Beyond, and his debut album, Blue Slide Park in 2011. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The more experimental effort, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, followed in 2013 with left-field hip-hop names like Action Bronson, Earl Sweatshirt, and Flying Lotus lending a hand. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi