Mac Miller Tribute Mural Appears in Brooklyn
Written by SOURCE on February 7, 2019
Mac Miller may be gone, but he’s certainly not forgotten.
In the months since the Pittsburgh native’s untimely death, many creatives have honored his life and career with murals across the country. We’ve seen tribute pieces pop up in North Carolina, Southern California, and most recently Brooklyn. NYC-based artist BKFoxx teamed up with Bushwick collective JMZ Walls to create a two-toned mural portrait of Miller. The left side of the piece is presented in a blue tint, while the right is presented in red.
“I think Mac Miller’s death had been kind of overlooked. It was such a shitty thing, he was only 26. And when someone ODs, it hurts,” BKFoxx told Complex. “Because in my generation, there’s been so much of it, we’re so used to burying friends and family members for that reason. And because I think to myself, how bad is living in this world for you that you just can’t? Especially as an artist—I can say from experience it’s really difficult to be creative in a society that values money and trends more than culture and real individuality.”
BKFoxx continued: “[The piece] is meant to be a representation of how we are complex and can be more than one thing at the same time. We can show one face to the world while hiding another. Something I find helpful to be aware of when thinking about other people.”
The mural, titled “Filters,” was completed in late January, shortly after what would’ve been Miller’s 27th birthday. If you’re in the NYC area, you can check out the mural in-person at 1065 Broadway in Brooklyn.
BKFoxx has created murals featuring Beyoncé, Ronda Rousey, Robert De Niro’s Taxi Driver character Travis Bickle, Georgie Denbrough from It, and the late XXXTentacion.
Miller was found dead Sept. 7, 2018 inside his Los Angeles-area home. About two months after his death, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office released an official toxicology report that stated Miller had died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol. Miller received a posthumous Grammy nomination—his first-ever Grammy nod—for Swimming. The artist is up for Best Rap Album alongside Pusha-T (DAYTONA), Travis Scott (ASTROWORLD), Cardi B (Invasion of Privacy), and Nipsey Hussle (Victory Lap). The 2019 Grammys will air at 8 p.m. ET this Sunday on CBS.
