Mac Miller’s family is speaking out against an unauthorized biography on the late rapper.
On Friday, Miller’s estate and his mother, Karen Meyers, released a statement bashing Paul Cantor’s upcoming book, Most Dope: The Extraordinary Life of Mac Miller.
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“This book is not authorized or endorsed by Malcolm’s family and has been written by a writer with whom Malcolm did not have a relationship,” reads the statement.
Meyers goes on to claim that Cantor was made aware that Miller’s family and friends were “uncomfortable” with him authoring the biography, “yet he chose to proceed against our polite insistence that he do no disservice to Malcolm’s legacy through writing a book without legitimate primary sources.”
The estate has shared its support for another Miller book, Donna-Claire Chesman’s The Book of Mac, and believes that “people will confuse” the two books. Additionally, a pre-order for Cantor’s book has been launched, which the estate believes was done to “capitalize on the interest” of Chesman’s book, which will be available Oct. 26.
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Cantor’s book is set for release on Jan. 18, 2022, a day before Miller’s birthday. “We have been consistently disappointed by the author and publisher’s decision to pursue this book given their full understanding of our discomfort with the circumstances under which it was authored, but utilizing Malcolm’s birthdate as a marketing tool is exploitative and incredibly disappointing,” reads the family’s statement.
They have also advised fans against supporting Most Dope. “With that in mind we urge those that wish to support Malcolm and his legacy to abstain from purchasing this new book.”
Cantor, who has written for publications including Rolling Stone and Billboard, has defended his decision to publish the book while denying the family’s claims that he is being “exploitative.”
“I’m a journalist with nearly twenty years of experience, having been fair and honest in my reporting on the biggest celebrities to people in the smallest corners of everyday life,” Cantor told Page Six. “My credibility is unimpeachable and I don’t take his family’s claims lightly. It’s unfortunate that they feel this way.”
The veteran journalist also said that Miller’s family’s statement is “factually incorrect.” “They were made aware of the book at its inception with the utmost best intentions, and they chose to not participate — which I respected,” he added. “This book was approached with love and care. And [Miller]’s friends and other people close to him, as well as numerous people in the music industry, did willingly speak to me. I sat through countless hours of long interviews, many of them emotional and revealing.”
Despite the criticism, Cantor won’t be deterred. “I believe my book explores and contextualizes the life and art that he left behind,” he said. “I stand behind my reporting. I stand behind my book. And I believe that the work will speak for itself.”
Mac Miller died in September 2018 from an accidental drug overdose. He was 26.
