So here I am, sitting, listening to this Mac Miller tape; specifically I Love Life, Thank You, the mixtape he dropped a week ago, after he hit one million followers on Twitter. Like some of you, I've definitely made some jokes about this guy—it's too easy. He's a pint-sized, fresh-faced white kid, one you could easily imagine as the patron saint of every white-hatted, puka-shelled frat bro who's ever said "nigga" in a shitty 3:00 a.m. cipher by the beer-pong table. Which is bullshit; I don't know this kid, and it's fully wrong of me to project on him the shortcomings of others I've met based purely on, really, his physical shell. And, goddamn, there's no denying he is on the crazy come-up, much like his buddy-ol'-pal and fellow Pittsburgher Wiz Khalifa was just a year ago. I've been aware of all this, and promised I'd give him a fair shake one of these days when it was appropriate. Seeing as he's coming to Showbox Sodo for an already-sold-out show on Sunday, October 30 (with LA's People Under the Stairs and Casey Veggies), no time like the present.

First: He can rap. He can authoritatively do the take-'er-easy half-rap syllable-drag-out style that's industry standard, but finds equally strong footing cramming cleverness and ideas into dense bars. He's not giving, say, Slaughterhouse a run for their money anytime soon, but it's not hard to see why his relatable, fun-loving-yet-thoughtful hiphop has found a bigger and more devoted fan base than their browbeating brand of sour old-guy super-rap. (Some people tend to think that technical proficiency makes an MC's music dope, which is like saying the wank-work of guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen is better than the pure, brutish dopamine rush of the Stooges or the Ramones.)

Second: He can write. Thank You's songs tend to focus on his titular love of life (I can dig it), his casual dalliances with drugs (and your girlfriend), and his lack of concern for the legions that would dismiss him despite all his hard work. Still, his song structures pack a natural expansiveness and his hooks are kush-sticky. Plus, he clearly exemplifies that rarest of the rap bird: a genuinely likable and sharp personality, the kind that wins. Listening to this, I'd take Miller over a thousand other 2DopeBoyz flotsam-cees, who I'm supposed to like better just because they're black and have an expensive belt. Including Wiz Khalifa.

So lastly: I'm not mad. He doesn't make me feel like I'm in high school again (pretty much the metric most people judge music by), but the people in class (or out) right now can't get enough. Does he speak to me and my experience? Not really; but he doesn't have to in order to be relevant, in my eyes. He speaks to the experience of a lot of folks, and they're supporting the kid in droves these days. They're probably not much like me, but that doesn't mean they're not valid. That's obvious, sure, but sometimes it can still take a minute to figure that out.