Malcolm Mac Miller McCormick

By Chris Gomes Friday, December 30th, 2011

Pittsburgh native Mac Miller emerged as the unlikely hero of independent hip hop in 2011. Mac spent the past two years building a fanbase and this year, all of his hard work finally paid off as the rapper's debut album Blue Slide Park debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. The rapper went from being one of the lucky emcees mentioned in XXL's 2011 Freshman class to one of the most talked about newcomers of the year.

He remains affiliated with local Pittsburgh label, Rostrum Records and has gained his current level of success without the assistance of a major label. His Rostrum Records-produced mixtape On and On and Beyond was released in March 2011 and he released "I Love Life, Thank You" in commemoration of his having reached 1,000,000 followers on Twitter. His single "Donald Trump" even won an endorsement from the man himself.

Mac also made an appearance on VH1's popular series "Single Ladies," playing a fictionalized version of himself and was listed as one of MTV Jams' "Fab Five." His uniquely indie path to stardom was spotlighted in Forbes magazine; with the rhymer being dubbed 'Indie Music's Savior.'