This past September marked two years since the tragic passing of Mac Miller. The rapper’s death is among the major losses in the realm of hip-hop experienced in the past few years alone. Mac touched many people, from his fans to friends and collaborators, so it’s a sore spot whenever his name is brought up, regardless of the intent. TDE’s REASON was under fire over the weekend following the release of New Beginnings. 

“Look, you said you wanna be an artist/Well, we gon’ turn you to an addict/Get rid of the n***as that you got on with/Then give you the tools to dig your own shit/Surround you with some wack n***as/Some yes men that’s gon’ tell you that your raps iller/A couple cars, some jewelry, make your stacks bigger/Then one day you could become the next Mac Miller,” he raps on “Fall.”

Ahead of its release, he sat down with Bootleg Kev who predicted some might have issues with the lyric. Reason explained that he has love for Mac Miller and there was no ill intent behind the lyrics. Noting that he loves Mac Miller, he said that he prides himself on being honest. The point of the lyric wasn’t to shame anyone who suffers from addiction but rather, shed light on a prevalent issue that hasn’t been addressed.

“It’s for the people that’s gon’ say, ‘Well, it’s just these artists that are affected by it.’… It’s not just the Lil’s,” he explained. “He was like one of the greats. And a great kid and a great guy and a nice guy. And this industry, in my opinion, you know what I mean? Destroyed him… It’s not just the young boys. And that’s the reason why I did it. I was like, there’s a chance that I can catch some flack but I feel like this is so important for people to understand is that it’s not just the lils.”

Though the delivery of what he said may have been rough, he explained that Mac was someone who came into the industry young. And there needs to be a change because many childhood stars resort to drugs at some point due to the horrors of the industry.

Peep the clip below.