Trailer Teases Release of Posthumous Mac Miller Album, ‘Balloonerism’

A long awaited album from late rapper Mac Miller appears to be on the way, according to a new trailer.

The teaser was aired at Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles over the weekend, appearing before The Alchemist & Friends’ set on Saturday (Nov. 16).

The two-and-a-half minute trailer featured a series of animations and songs, finishing with a message that simply read “soon”. The image that accompanied this message was a painting of Miller by artist Alim Smith. Just weeks before Miller’s 2018 passing, Smith had posted an image in a similar style which the late artist commented on, writing “need this”.

The project in question is Miller’s long-lost album Balloonerism, which had been recorded over a decade ago and was reportedly planned for release ahead of his 2014 mixtape, Faces.

While some debate has taken place in regard to whether the recorded songs were ever compiled and sequenced for intended release, or if the project ever actively got past its development phase, many of the songs associated with the project have however leaked over the years.

Two of those songs – including the SZA-featuring “The Song That Changed Everything”, and “5 Dollar Pony Rides” – accompanied the teaser trailer when it was aired on Saturday.

Miller passed away in September 2018 at the age of 26, leaving behind a legacy which included six studio albums, 12 mixtapes, numerous singles, and even more guest appearances on songs with other artists.

His final album, 2018’s Swimming, was released just a month prior to his passing. In 2020, Miller’s estate released the posthumous record Circles, which had reportedly been planned as a companion piece to Swimming. Both records received widespread critical acclaim, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 upon their respective releases.

In March 2023, Madlib confirmed he was in the process of finishing up an unreleased collaboration with Miller, while in March 2024, Miller’s song “The Quest” was released to streaming following its arrival on the Watching TV With the Sound Off 10-year anniversary vinyl the previous year.