SZA Fondly Remembers Mac Miller After Rapper’s Posthumous ‘Balloonerism’ Release

SZA is reflecting on her friendship with Mac Miller after the release of his posthumous album, Balloonerism.

On Friday (Jan. 17), the 35-year-old Grammy-winning artist honored the late Pittsburgh rapper, urging fans to listen to the new project, which dropped on what would have been Miller’s 33rd birthday.

“I love my friend I miss my friend,” SZA wrote on X. “Grateful he saw something in me before most and treated me w love from day 1. Wish he could see how right ab everything he truly was. Please go stream Balloonerism RIGHT NOW.”

Miller’s estate announced in November that Balloonerism, his second posthumous album following 2020’s Circles, would be released on Jan. 17 through Warner Records. Miller passed away in 2018 at age 26 from an accidental drug overdose.

Balloonerism is a 14-track album that showcases Miller’s experimental approach, blending neo-soul and jazz influences. SZA appears on the track “DJ’s Chord Organ,” alongside other guest features like Thundercat and Ashley All Day.

Following Miller’s death, SZA shared an emotional tribute on Instagram. “You were the first person I met when I moved here,” she wrote at the time. “U let me come over everyday and be whoever I wanted. Showed up for me in ways I can never express or repay. my gratitude is infinite. I’ll never let you dim in my mind or spirit.”

SZA recently saw a chart resurgence as the deluxe edition of her 2022 album, SOS, reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 in early January. SOS Deluxe: Lana, which features 15 additional tracks, earned 130,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. for the week ending Jan. 2, according to Luminate. The album has now spent the most weeks at No. 1 for a hip-hop or R&B album by a woman since Whitney Houston’s self-titled album spent 14 weeks atop the chart in 1986.

See SZA’s tribute to Mac Miller on X below.