This past weekend, at Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, fans got a glimpse of a new Mac Miller album called Balloonerism. The late rapper’s estate has now made it official, announcing that the posthumous album is out January 17 via Warner. Watch a trailer for the album, and see its cover artwork, below.
Miller, whose real name was Malcolm James McCormick, worked on Balloonerism amid his 2013 to 2015 run that produced Watching Movies With the Sound Off, Delusional Thomas, Faces, and GO:OD AM. His family explained:
Many of Malcolm’s fans are aware of Balloonerism, a full-length album that Malcolm created around the time of the release of Faces in 2014. It is a project that was of great importance to Malcolm—to the extent that he commissioned artwork for it and discussions concerning when it should be released were had regularly, though ultimately GO:OD AM and subsequent albums ended up taking precedence.
We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist. Given that unofficial versions of the album have circulated online for years and that releasing Balloonerism was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world. With that in mind, we’re happy to announce that Balloonerism will be released on January 17th, 2025.
Mac Miller died, in September 2018, at the age of 26, not long after the release of Swimming—an album that was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Circles, the posthumous companion to Swimming, was released on Friday, January 17, 2020.
Revisit Alphonse Pierre’s “Mac and Me: Coming of Age With Mac Miller’s Music” on the Pitch.