January 18, 2013….This was the day circled on my calendar for quite some time. Not because it was the birthday celebration of my beloved Dad, but today marked a significant checkpoint in my young life. For the first time in my life, I could drive the open roads SOLO. The cruel state of Indiana makes young drivers wait until they are 16 and half to be considered “mature enough” to drive without the supervision of an older driver (My cousin was able to drive at 15 in the state of Michigan…unfair). For some reason, there are certain people who do not care to get their license at 16 and half. For what reason? Idk. Actually, they could be claiming to not be mature enough at 16 and half. (Let’s be honest, no one is really very mature at 16…or even at 21.) These procrastinating folks are more honest and patient than the rest of us.
As for me, no way was I waiting any later than I was forced to by law. My Dad already purchased his new car that he had been eyeing for awhile: the 2013 Ford Escape. The kick-under-the-trunk-with-the-keyless-remote-to-open-the-trunk feature really sold him on the new Escape model. “Happy Birthday Joe!” — from Joe”. My Dad passed down his 2005 Mercury Mariner v6 4WD SUV. Even though she had already logged a lot of miles, she was still a beauty with her bright red coat. I named her Mair (short for Mariner in case you couldn’t figure that out).
In order to prepare for January 18, 2013, I bought a pack of 25 blank CD discs at Best Buy (hard to believe this was only 8 years ago). Unfortunately, Mair did not feature any high-tech audio that new cars showcase today, but she had a great CD player! My friend David used to drive me to school my freshman year of high school. He would make CD mixtapes for music as there was nothing but commercials on the FM radio at 7 in the morning. Eventually, when I would be mature enough to drive myself, I would craft my own mixtapes. And that’s exactly what I did!
There’s something really special about making your own mixtape playlist on CD. For starters, there is a definite limit on the length of audio. Kids today with their 13 hour long playlists of hundreds of songs with the playlist title of “bangerz” cannot understand. 80 minutes was the limit for CD’s capability, which is roughly 17 to 20 songs. You can’t really add or remove songs from that playlist once it was made (re-burning CD’s messed up the audio in my experience). The right CD mixtape required the perfect combination of artist craftsmanship with the economical touch of not exceeding the 80 minute upper limit. The order of songs was also something important to keep in mind. I always started with an intro song and a closing song and filled the in-between. By no means was I a CD-constructing prodigy, but I really loved the process. I imagined myself as a musician choosing the right songs and order when piecing together their next album.
I finished my CD before that first date with Mair. (I apologize for the gab at “the kids” with the basic playlist name of “bangerz” earlier because my super original title of the first CD mixtape was “rap mix 1”). I sharpied “rap mix 1” on the physical disc and awaited the 18th. When the moment finally came, I turned the key in Mair’s ignition and popped in the mix. I put her in reverse down the steep driveway, switched to drive, and I was off! The first song had already been going for 20 seconds or so, but nothing could be heard as there was a long build-up to the first song. Slowly a soft piano riff gets a little bit louder. Next, a simple guitar plick can be heard as the piano riff reaches the equilibrium volume. Finally, the drum fill kicks in around 80 seconds into the song. I smiled knowing that today was already the best day ever.
I’m referencing the song “Best Day Ever” by Mac Miller from his 2011 mixtape of the same name. Mac Miller was one of my favorite rappers during the time. He was part of the new generation of rappers and artists that released mixtapes for free on the Internet. Sites like DatPiff.com were frequently visited by high school aged boys in the early 2010s looking for the next hot tracks. Between 2008 and 2012, rap music began to be universally accepted as mainstream music. Not that rap music was not legitimate before (the 90s were filled with so many great rap albums), but the audience for rap was finally universal. However, the mainstream audience yielded a shift in the overall sound of rap music as time period incorporated more elements of pop music. Literally, every rap song from 2008 to 2012 included a pop chorus (many of them feat. Rihanna) breaking up the rap verses. So many of these pop rap songs received significant FM radio air time during this era. Atlanta’s OutKast grandfathered the seeds of this era in the early 2000s, but Kanye’s (Chicago) 2007 release of Graduation was the direct start of this movement. That album was the album that really spoke to the suburban white boys as they transitioned from bands like Green Day, MCR, and Linkin Park in the early 2000s to rap and set the stage for the next 5 years of music.
In very early 2013, this was the music I followed, and my first several CD mixtapes I made for Mair included the pop rap of this period. Mac Miller (Pittsburgh), Chris Webby (Connecticut), Chiddy Bang (Philly), Kanye (Chicago), B.o.B. (Atlanta), Kid Cudi (Cleveland), Hoodie Allen (NY), Lupe Fiasco (Chicago), Pitbull (Miami), Drake (Toronto), Macklemore (Seattle) as well as Atlanta’s T.I. (only Paper Trail and No Mercy), Brooklyn’s Jay (only Blueprint 3 and Watch the Throne), and Detroit’s Eminem (he had some incredible verses during this era on songs like “That’s All She Wrote”, “Airplanes Pt. II”, “Forever”) featured frequently on these CD mixtapes.
For every single CD rap mixtape that I produced, I included Mac Miller’s “Best Day Ever” as the opening track. I really love that song and especially the building intro! To fully appreciate the quality of “Best Day Ever”, you have to watch the entire music video. The long intro music is overlaid with some home videos of Mac during his childhood. In his music, Mac often references his childhood and the enjoyment he recalled during these times of youth, while likely struggling with his mental health. After learning of his passing in 2018, I refused to watch this music video because I knew it would cause me to start bawling my eyes out. I have watched it several times in the last couple of years, but each view feels like the time I watched Toy Story 3 before heading off to college (very VERY bad idea).
I noticed something recently as I streamed the “Best Day Ever” video, which will bring me to the point of this post. After the intro instrumental part with old family videos, the little kid runs towards Mac right before Mac starts the first verse (around the 90 mark in the video). I never thought about the significance and meaning of that action until a couple of weeks ago when I drove Mair for the last time. As young kid Mac passes off the torch of the verse to grown up Mac, he signifies that he is still a kid at heart, even though “that kid” is grown up now. He reflects back on his childhood and upbringing and is grateful for where his past led him to the present moment. (I included the hometowns/cities of all of the rappers that I listened to in the above paragraphs for this reason. All of these rappers reference their home turf in their music. There really isn’t genre where the artists have such a strong connection to their hometowns quite like rap. Mac’s first studio album referenced a park in his hometown of Pittsburgh.) The lines “No matter where life takes me, find me with a smile, pursuit to be happy, only laughing like a child” sum up a perfect motto for life as we move into adulthood. As the family home videos return at the end of the music video, Mac reminds us that we are all still children at heart as the entirety of the song completes a full circle back to childhood.
This is why the very last song that Mair played for me was the first song that I played over 8 years ago. “Best Day Ever” reminds me of that young 16.5 year old version of myself with big dreams and more innocence. As I listened to “Best Day Ever” on my last drive with Mair, I realized, much like Mac in the video, that I have matured into a full adult with increased responsibilities. Saying goodbye to the first car that I learned to drive is a significant stepping stone on the ladder of adulthood. Even though this is a further step into the unknown waters of adulthood, Mac and Mair remind me to maintain the innocence of a child and to always be grateful for what I have and where I came from. Playing “Best Day Ever” that last time through Mair’s speakers transformed me back to my mindset at 16. The heart of a child (well, adolescent) yields endless possibilities for growth and learning. The great Kevin Garnett screamed it best after his first championship:
Big dreams and opportunities are always knocking to those who have the courage to answer the door. Thank you for inspiring me for years and returning me to that perspective. I love you, Mair.
