Mac Miller - K.I.D.S. [2LP Translucent Yellow]

Long before the jazz chords and the heavy introspection, there was K.I.D.S., Mac Miller's sunny 2010 mixtape, spread here across two translucent yellow LPs.

Released through Rostrum Records while Miller was still a teenager in Pittsburgh, the tape spread quickly across the blogs and helped turn him into one of the internet's favourite new rappers. The title is a backronym for Kickin' Incredibly Dope Shit, and it nods to the 1995 film Kids, which is quoted throughout. The mood is the last stretch of adolescence: skipping class, riding around with friends and dreaming out loud.

Much of it was recorded at I.D. Labs in Pittsburgh, and the beats lean on breezy soul samples and loose boom-bap swing, with a long list of producers including ID Labs and Lord Finesse. Nikes on My Feet is a wide-eyed ode to sneakers and ambition, Knock Knock bounces on a playful, sing-song hook, and Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza turns a teenage snack run into a victory lap. The Spins, built with Empire of the Sun, remains one of the most loved songs of his early years.

It is a snapshot of a young artist having the time of his life, unguarded and endlessly charming. On bright yellow vinyl, it plays like a summer afternoon that refuses to end.