BACK IN THE DAY—way, way back in 2004—teenagers sang into their hairbrushes and danced in front of their be-stickered, full-length mirrors in the privacy of their own bedrooms. Now, those same teenagers become YouTube sensations. While many of these 15-minute gaspers should keep their Christina Aguilera impressions confined to the Roosevelt Middle School end-of-year talent show (ahem, Rebecca Black), a few Internet stars are actually deserving of their trending success.
One of these is Mac Miller (a.k.a. Malcolm McCormick), a 19-year-old hip-hop artist who first gained wide appeal by naming a song after Donald Trump. That video received over 30 million hits on YouTube and kudos from The Donald himself.
“This kid is the new Eminem,” Trump declared in his own video post. Indeed, the similarities between the Detroit megastar and the Pittsburgh up-and-comer are more than simply being tattooed white rappers from industrial towns. Both share a playful, tongue-in-cheek style that appeals to a broad audience, while employing the kind of flow and rhythm that has been sorely lacking in the era of AutoTune and do-it-yourself production. Both also have mantles full of rap-battle trophies. We’ve all seen 8 Mile, and Miller followed in his footsteps when he first flexed his word-slinging prowess at age 17 in the final four of Rhyme Calisthenics, the MC competition at Shadow Lounge in Pittsburgh.
Miller rolls into Avalon nightclub in Santa Clara on Thursday as part of the West Coast swing of his “Incredibly Dope Tour.” Count on seeing a barrage of Facebook posts in your newsfeed and tweets about how your local buddies and acquaintance from freshman orientation five years ago are “Mac-in it up tonight.”
Thursday, Nov. 3
8pm; $20
