Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

Fresh from his sold out UK tour, including a London show at The Forum last month, Mac Miller releases his new anthemic single ‘Party On Fifth Ave’ on July 23rd, the second release from his debut album ‘Blue Slide Park’. Mac, one of the most exciting young emcee’s of the moment continues to give a nod to old skool hip hop. With over 11 million views on YouTube, ‘Party On Fifth Ave’ samples DJ Kool’s classic ‘Let Me Clear My Throat’, or depending on your generation, DJ Mark the 45 King’s ‘The 900 Number’.Only six months into the year and Mac Miller has already worked with a slew of massive names. Earlier this year he dropped ‘Macadelic’, the seventh mixtape of his career, which features cuts from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Lil’ Wayne. He also delivered an outstanding verse on the remix of Justin Bieber’s new single ‘Boyfriend’. Not to forget his forthcoming EP, ‘Pink Slime’, a collaboration with Neptunes legend Pharrell Williams. Still only 20 years old, in his early teens Mille...

With over 17 million views on YouTube, ‘Frick Park Market’ is the massive new single from Pittsburgh native Malcolm “Mac Miller” McCormick, one of the most exciting young emcee’s of the moment. Named after the food store where Mac once worked, ‘Frick Park Market’ is taken from the No.1 US debut album ‘Blue Slide Park’. Keeping true to his backpacker style, Mac Miller was signed independently to Rostrum Records, also home to Wiz Khalifa, in 2011, ‘Blue Slide Park’ became the first independently distributed debut album to top the US charts in 15 years. On May 21st, ‘Blue Slide Park’ gets its UK release through Island Records. Still only 20 years old, in his early teens Miller began to take his influences from the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Big L, and Outkast, which helped him develop a reputation for delivering jaw-dropping freestyles in Pittsburgh. Like most of his contemporaries, he first came to prominence by dropping a host of mixtapes, six in all. It was with ‘K.I.D.S’ and ‘B...