The impact of Mac Miller‘s death continues to resonate throughout hip-hop fandom, especially considering the musical versatility of the late twenty-six-year-old rapper. Not only was he a melodically gifted songwriter and musician, as seen by his work on Swimming and the unfinished but still presentable Circles, but he could also get down with the lyricists on equal footing.

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Case in point, Mac held it down alongside Slaughterhouse‘s own Royce Da 5’9″ on “Dat Sound Good,” no easy feat. And while he never quite collaborated with Slaughterhouse in their entirety, he did manage to connect with KXNG Crooked and chop it up on a social level. The Crook’s Corner host slash legendary lyricist took to Instagram to highlight their link-up, tugging at the heartstrings with a throwback picture captioned “RIP.”

In light of the image surfacing, it makes you wonder how Miller might have fared trading bars with Crooked on wax. Though seldom included in round-ups of the game’s great lyricists, albums like Watching Movies With The Sound Off, Good AM, Faces, and Delusion Thomas proved that Mac had developed a complex and highly referential style that made him a completely unique figure in the rap game. History shows that he was capable of going bar for bar with the likes of ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Royce Da 5’9″, Earl Sweatshirt, Action Bronson, and many more. Rest in peace, Mac Miller, and thanks to KXNG Crooked for holding it down in his honor. 

In an interview conducted back in September, Post Malone told Zane Lowe about how highly he thought of Mac Miller. "Mac was the first one that tweeted me," he recalled. "It's so weird because I listened to him since the beginning, I was like, 'Yeah, awesome. This guy's cool as shit.' Then to be able to meet him and become friends with him was just like, 'I look up to you, and now we're sitting here playing beer pong.'” Post went on to reveal that he and Mac had considered making a collaborative project together, which left fans imagining an alternate world where they would be able to enjoy that special music. Mac will continue to hold a special place in Post's heart and, on Monday night (Feb. 24), Post did something to keep his late friend's memory alive. 

Post appeared onstage at PPG Paints Arena in Mac's hometown of Pittsburgh wearing a custom t-shirt that had "RIP MAC MILLER" airbrushed across the chest. The crowd must have rapturously applauded after seeing that a hometown hero is still getting his roses. This wasn't the first time that Post donned this tee. It was first unveiled a couple of weeks after Mac passed away in September of 2018.