Ten years since the release of late rapper Mac Miller’s sophomore album Watching Movies With the Sound Off, his former label Rostrum Records has given it an anniversary re-release with the cooperation of his estate, the album featuring an early version of the opener ‘The Star Room.’ As reported by Pitchfork, it is accompanied by a colorful new video directed by Danae Gosset, featuring collaboration from the director of Miller’s ‘Color and Shapes’ video Sam Mason.
As Gosset explained, “I had the privilege of collaborating with the incredibly talented Sam Mason, who designed the characters for the video. The storyline begins and ends with a candid embryo-like character, showcasing their growth and transformation through diverse landscapes and encounters. My goal was to capture the essence of a transformative journey while maintaining a childlike curiosity towards exploring different worlds.”
The song itself is nothing new to devout Mac Miller fans, having originally been released for the one-year anniversary of Watching Movies With the Sound Off on Soundcloud back in 2014. Fresher ears will still be delighted to hear this vastly different version of the original 2013 classic, though, featuring a more ethereal choir-laden instrumental and an interlude from the producer, Earl Sweatshirt, under the pseudonym RandomBlackDude.
Ever since his death in 2018, Miller’s estate has slowly been releasing music from his extensive back catalog of unreleased work, often with the help of producer and composer Jon Brion. The first release was the song ‘Good News,’ delicate single that would go on to fall on the artist’s 2020 posthumous album Circles. Since that project, we’ve also gotten to hear ‘Right’ and ‘Floating’ as a part of its deluxe edition release, netting the late artist even more critical acclaim. More recently, legendary hip hop producer Madlib stated in an interview that he is finishing up a collaborative album that he and Miller were working on before his death, however a date has yet to be announced.
Watch the music video for ‘The Star Room (OG Version)’ by Mac Miller below.
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