Staying indie clearly did not hurt Mac Miller. Blue Slide Park

Mac Miller

Rostrum Records

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Staying indie clearly did not hurt Mac Miller.

The up-and-coming Squirrel Hill rapper’s recently-released Blue Slide Park album topped the iTunes charts as the No. 1-selling album on Tuesday, coming in above Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto. This success gives further credit to his decision not to join a major record label like his former Rostrum Records partner Wiz Khalifa. Mac has stuck to his roots, and that’s allowed him to keep his original style.

Songs like “Of the Soul” allow Mac to show some love to one of his favorite groups, De La Soul. One of the pioneering groups of the ’90s golden age movement in rap, De La Soul was not afraid to be different, something Mac constantly advocates in his own songs. He often credits De La Soul — along with other ’90s group A Tribe Called Quest — for his style.

Part of the reason for Mac Miller’s success has been his ability to reach all types of audiences. Recently, he promised to release a mix tape if he reached 1,000,000 followers on Twitter and revealed a new song for every 100,000 new followers. When he reached his goal, he put out the mix tape I Love Life, Thank You.

From his early days as Easy Mac, Miller has developed a much-improved lyrical flow — he now has the ability to rap quickly over fast beats and use poetic metaphors over slower tracks. This allows Blue Slide Park to take the listener in numerous directions. If you’re looking for party tracks, songs like “Party on Fifth Ave.,” “Up All Night” and “Smile Back” are sure to perk up a room. But other tracks take a more serious turn, as Mac reflects on the path his life has taken him thus far.

“Under the Weather,” the seventh track on the album, might also be the first song with a relatively slow beat. Taking the opportunity to think back on his fast-paced life, Mac states that he won’t let the newfound fame change him. This is a theme of the album, as many songs — including the first track, “English Lane” — mention Mac’s dilemma of trying to be an everyday kid and still make it big as a rapper.

As the album progresses, Mac seems to take both sides of the argument. In “English Lane,” Mac says, “They doubt the money should’ve changed it / Slide still blue / Why the world keep tryin’ to paint it? / When life around you changes / try to keep your sameness / Try to keep your brain / maintainin’ through the lameness.”

Only two tracks later, however, Mac sounds far cockier. On the track “Blue Slide Park,” Mac says, “I‘m a regular guy with an irregular life / except I’m a Lamborghini if it’s racin’ a bike.”

Whether he’s down-to-earth, cocky or just donning a gray wig as his alter ego, Cam Rellim — his name backwards — this 20-year-old rapper is turning into one heck of a musical artist.