He previously called Mac “one of the only people in music who truly believed in me.”
Mac Miller’s posthumous album, Circles, contains only one guest appearance. “Hand Me Downs” features Melbourne, Australia singer and rapper Baro, who sings and plays drums on the track.
On the chorus, Baro sings:
You remind me
Shit, I need to stay in line
You damn well are a great design
You, despite being an only child
Say you need more of a family ‘round
Let’s turn these jeans into hand me downs
Down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
After the song’s release, Baro shared the following message on Twitter:
Baro has been releasing music since he was still in high school. In 2013, he released a 16-track project titled The Earth is My Living Room on Bandcamp.
The next year, he broke through at the age of 17 by catching the attention of outlets like Noisey and Acclaim Magazine with his ‘90s-inspired mixtape, HOWGOODISGOOD?. Reviews praised the project for Baro’s jazzy production and his laidback flow.
In 2015, Baro toured throughout Australia and released an EP titled 17/18. The teenage rapper told Happy Mag that the project isn’t about growing up, but rather “a non linear story book which all ties together in mine and my friends [sic] heads.”
Although his musical output was relatively quiet in 2016, Baro still furthered his craft by dropping demos on SoundCloud and Tumblr. He also toured alongside fellow Melbourne artist REMI and played the Australian festival circuit.
May 2017 saw the release of his next EP, Just Problems You Need To Know.
On Facebook, he shared the following note about the project:
Here we go, it’s finally here. The body of work that made me go crazy amongst all my life happenings the past couple years, the first project I produced almost the entirety of. The third documented era of my life, where I was at mentally from 2015-2017 all summarised into 8 songs. I don’t have a lot to say in words because it’s all in the music right now, I’ll probably ramble on later. All I have left to say is thank you to everybody who has been around me this past couple years while I was pulling my hair out making this. Whether you worked on it with me or simply just inspired me. To my peoples who enjoy what I make, thank you for waiting and thank you for listening.
Following the release of Just Problems, Baro’s career reached new heights when he joined Chicago’s Mick Jenkins and Brooklyn duo The Underachievers on their 2018 Australia and New Zealand tour.
It’s unclear how his friendship with Mac began and exactly when “Hand Me Downs” was recorded, but the Pittsburgh rapper liked a photo Baro posted on Instagram in March 2018.
After Mac passed away that September, Baro shared a heartfelt message on Facebook about their relationship. It seems like the two multi-talented musicians had more plans to collaborate:
Rest In Power to my hero and friend Malcolm. One of the only people in music who truly believed in me. I was really looking forward to building a deeper friendship with you over the next week man. Everything I do is for u now. I am very grateful to have had you as a friend.. I’m happy that happened. Sending all my love to the McCormick family, the most dope family and his whole team. ❤️❤️❤️💔💔💔
Not to be deterred from making music, Baro started teasing a new album on Facebook. He started 2019 strong by releasing a SoundCloud loosie titled “We’re So Doomed” and playing supporting shows with Ravyn Lenae and The Internet. In July, he announced that his next project would be titled NEON BELLY.
That same month, he also posted a tribute to Mac on Instagram. “we love you and miss you a lot Malcolm,” he wrote in the caption. “my hero forever. thank you Justin, this moment will never cease to mean the world to me.”
Baro’s next project has yet to materialize, as he’s been taking some extra time to fine-tune it:
However, he’s recently been teasing new music on social media.
Regardless of when Baro’s project drops, the spotlight from being featured on Circles can only benefit his career.
Listen to the song above, and read all the lyrics to Mac Miller’s “Hand Me Downs” featuring Baro on Genius now.
