On Sept. 7, rapper Mac Miller passed away at the age of 26, leaving a gaping hole in the music community, and also in the lives of his fans. Miller's music resonated with many people, including Childish Gambino, who paid tribute to Mac Miller at his concert on Sept. 8 in Chicago, as reported by Rolling Stone.
Childish Gambino is the stage name of Atlanta actor Donald Glover. Currently, he's on his This Is America Tour. During his stop in Chicago, he took time out to pay tribute to Miller. According to Rolling Stone, the rapper said:
"I'm a very sensitive person… but this Mac Miller sh*t got me f*cked up."
Before he went into what he wanted to say, he strongly told the audience to put their phones away, in order to not "commodify this moment." Some fans still recorded his speech, which continued:
"This is a moment. I don't want this to get on the internet and be sold again and again because that's what's happening to him right now. He's not even allowed to really be dead, we're not even really allowed to be sad right now about this kid."
Childish Gambino went on to say how great of a person Miller truly was. He reportedly told the crowd, "He was so nice. He was the sweetest guy, he was so nice. And we were both internet music kids, and a lot of critics were like, 'This corny-*ss white dude, this corny-*ss black dude,' and we used to talk. And this kid, he just loved music."
In the days since his death, fans and celebrities have shared an outpouring of respect and memories for Miller via social media. From Chance the Rapper to Post Malone, and J. Cole, the response from his peers has been so moving. Fans, of course, are also heartbroken, and so is the rapper's family.
Miller's family released a statement to E! Online which read:
"Malcolm McCormick, known and adored by fans as Mac Miller, has tragically passed away at the age of 26. He was a bright light in this world for his family, friends and fans. Thank you for your prayers. Please respect our privacy. There are no further details as to the cause of his death at this time."
It's clear that Miller touched many people's lives, as evidenced by Gambino's moving words at his Chicago concert.
"We should be allowed to be sad about it," Gambino reportedly told the crowd of Miller's death. "Like, my heart was broken… and I feel good about being sad, because it tells me that he was special, that I had a special moment… Everybody in this room deserves that."
He then went on to talk about how the internet pegs people as things based on stereotypes or the one thing they like to do or one thing they're known for. "You are nobody's narrative," he said. "They'll make a narrative about you, but we're all way too complex to be a narrative." Whether it's Gambino as a "corny-*ss black dude," or Miller as "this corny-*ss white dude" everyone is too big to fit in a neat box.
He finished by devoting his song "Riot" to Miller. "So I just wanna say 'I love you Mac,' and I just want to tell you that I love you and this song is for him, because I feel like sometimes he wanted to let go." Music is a freeing thing, and in many of Miller's performances and his songs, you heard the pain when he rapped about his struggles, but he truly loved music, and that can be seen by his immense impact on the music world as evidenced by moving tributes like Gambino's.
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