GO:OD AM was supported by two singles: "100 Grandkids" and "Weekend". Miller began his international tour in support of the album on September 20, 2015, which started at his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200.
Background
On January 14, 2014, Miller announced that he was parting ways with Rostrum Records.[1][2] On May 11, 2014, Miller released his tenth mixtape Faces.[3] On October 21, 2014, news surfaced that Miller signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, including a distribution deal for his label REMember Music.[4] On July 30, 2015, Miller announced that he had completed his third studio album.[5] On August 5, 2015, he revealed the album title, release date, as well as a music video for the lead single "100 Grandkids".[6]
Release and promotion
On September 4, 2015, Miller released a mobile app that functions as an alarm and plays snippets of new music leading up to the album's release. Fans can also purchase a Breakfast Special Edition of the LP, packaging in a cereal box complete with cereal, a plastic cereal bowl, and a surprise item in addition to the CD and digital download.[7] In the days leading up to the album's release, Miller hosted a series of free social events to promote the album, deemed Homecoming Weekend. The festival culminated with the album release show and subsequent international tour.[8] Miller toured internationally in support of the album on The GO:OD AM Tour, and it started at his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[9]
Singles
The album's first single, "100 Grandkids", was released on August 7, 2015.[10] On August 7, 2015, the music video was released for "100 Grandkids".[11] The album's second official single, "Weekend" featuring Miguel, was released January 11, 2016.[12]
Promotional singles
The album's first promotional single, "Break the Law", was released on August 17, 2015.[13] The album's second promotional single, "Clubhouse", was released on September 10, 2015.[14]
GO:OD AM was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 71, based on 14 reviews.[16] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[15]
David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "Getting sober and ridding himself of depression are topics that GO:OD AM touches upon, but rather than his past, the 'show and prove' Miller is driven by his rebirth on an interesting and infectious LP that's also his strongest to date".[17] Meghan Garvey of Billboard said, "On major-label debut GO:OD AM, his third and best studio album, Miller grapples frankly with fame, addiction, recovery and the struggle to be a decent person over taut, melancholy production that channels both bleary inebriation and hard-fought optimism".[18] Andrew Gretchko of HipHopDX said, "If Miller's second album was a stepping stone that allowed him to climb above his partying past, GO:OD AM serves as a wakeup call for those that think his music is still best suited for frat parties. With a bright future ahead of him, Miller has positioned himself for career longevity, so long as he can keep his demons behind him".[22] Chris Dart of Exclaim! stated, "If there's one flaw with this album, it's its length. If you make a 70-minute album, all 70 of those minutes better be phenomenal, and that's not the case here. Dropping two or three songs would be enough to turn this very good record into a brilliant one".[20] Brian Duricy of PopMatters said, "Relying on his individuality yields his greatest results, but the album's most passable moments too".[24] Tayler Montague of Pitchfork said, "We might not learn a lot of specifics about him, but there's a lot of honesty in his music if you look for it".[23]
C. J. Rucker of The Source said, "GO:OD AM is the most transparent music Mac Miller has ever made and in doing so he has created a sonically cohesive and impressive album".[27] Michael Madden of Consequence said, "Beyond rapping, producing, and singing, Mac must see himself as a total package, and at 70 minutes long, GO:OD AM was always bound to have a lot of elements clashing for space. Somehow, it still feels balanced. It's essentially an offbeat stoner rap album, but there's still plenty of melody, in Mac's own singing and the guest appearances from the likes of Miguel on "Weekend" and Nagano on "The Festival", as well as in the EDM of "Jump" at the end of the album".[19] Lanre Bakare of The Guardian said, "It's musically adventurous in a way that recalls Chance the Rapper's Surf project, but takes fewer detours into psych and jazz".[21] Michael G. Barilleaux of RapReviews said, "At the end of the day Mac Miller is without a doubt capable of bringing more to the table than shallow, boring rap. Unfortunately, he doesn't do much to prove that on GO:OD AM".[25] Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone said, "GO:OD A.M. is a 70-minute studio album that would have been better served as two mixtape diary entries until the sober Miller discovered a smarter way to channel his newfound enthusiasm".[26]
Commercial performance
In the United States, GO:OD AM debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, selling 73,000 copies in its first week.[28] It was the third highest selling album in the United States during its debut week.[29] As of October 2015, the album has sold 92,000 copies domestically.[30]GO:OD AM earned 14,000 album-equivalent units in the week following Mac Miller's death on September 7, 2018, thus allowing the album to re-enter the Billboard 200 at number 32.[31] On October 26, 2018, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streams in excess of 500,000 units in the United States.[32]
"100 Grandkids" contains interpolations from "Bad Boy for Life", written by Dorsey Wesley, Drayton Goss, Jamel Fisher, Mark Curry, and Robert Ross, as performed by P. Diddy, Black Rob, and Mark Curry.
^ abCosores, Philip (June 9, 2015). "Mac Miller – GO:OD AM". Consequence. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
^ abDart, Chris. "Mac Miller GO:OD AM". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
^ abGretchko, Andrew (September 17, 2015). "Mac Miller – GO:OD AM". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
^Smith, Trevor (October 14, 2015). "Charts Don't Lie: October 14". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
