A Mac Miller song recorded in 2014 is now available to hear in full.
Leaks of Miller's deep cut "5 Dollar Pony Rides" surfaced online five years ago as low-quality leaks, but on Thursday (January 9), the song was officially released as promotion for the rapper's posthumous album Balloonerism. The album is scheduled to release on January 17.
Miller co-produced "5 Dollar Pony Rides" with Thundercat under his 'Larry Fisherman' moniker, the guitarist's older brother Ronald Bruner Jr., and their younger brother Kintaro, formerly of The Internet.
Balloonerism marks the second posthumous Miller album, five years after Circles, which was released nearly two years after his death from a drug overdose. The rapper was 26.
The 11-track Balloonerism also features SZA on "DJ’s Chord Organ," possibly recorded around the time that Miller produced "Ur" and "Warm Winds," from the singer-songwriter's 2014 mixtape, Z.
"We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist," the Miller estate wrote in a pre-album statement last year. "Given that unofficial versions of the album have circulated online for years and that releasing Balloonerism was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world."
Balloonerism was officially announced at last year's Camp Flog Gnaw, three years after the album was hinted at in 2021 Miller biography, The Book of Mac: Remembering Mac Miller.