With his fifth mixtape, 2011's
Best Day Ever
, Pittsburgh's own
Mac Miller
kicked off a banner year for the rapper. Preceding an EP, an additional mixtape, and his breakthrough full-length,
Blue Slide Park
,
presented
Miller
before the mainstream fame, bubbling with hope and promise. Packed with party-friendly hip-hop and his lyrically dexterous rhymes, the fun and playful set featured guests
Phonte
("I'll Be There") and
Wiz Khalifa
("Keep Floatin'"), as well as highlights "Get Up" and "Oy Vey." Though his sound would turn inward within the year,
stands as one of
's most sonically joyous and emotionally light efforts. After
's death in September 2018,
made its first chart appearance on the Billboard 200, debuting at number 26. ~ Neil Z. Yeung