Miller is proud of the progress he has made on tour and with his music. His debut album, “Us Against Them,” is an uplifting one. At times the record is a little too safe for its own good, and its content rarely penetrates the sounds booming from a fraternity barbecue, but when it does, it pays off.
Take “Puppet,” a track near the end of the album, for example. In this tune, the listener gets a sense for Jake Miller the Recording Artist, rather than Jake Miller the Easy-Going Party Guy. He vents about newfound fame, the cost of working for somebody else and losing touch with close friends. Only in this song does he question the value of success. Unlike “Puppet,” the rest of the album, while certainly fun and enjoyable, does not challenge hip-hop fans to listen closely.
To be fair, seriousness and darkness aren’t necessarily the point of Jake Miller. “I try to keep the songs uplifting. I think that album (‘Us Against Them’) has something for everybody. Its got happy songs and sad songs. Some songs are about girls, obviously inspired by certain ones,” Miller said.
Miller always enjoys performing, and is looking forward to bringing that energy to Utah. Being deemed an impressive artist in his genre, Miller’s presence should help develop the young hip-hop scene in Salt Lake City.
“I’ve never been to Salt Lake City or Utah before. This will be my first time. It’s always a party, no matter how many are in the crowd — 300 or 3,000. It’s always fun and we play great music,” Miller said.
The year 2013 has been a prosperous one for Miller, and he looks forward to the next step in his career.
“I got really lucky early on with some great opportunities before this year. I just signed to Warner Bros., so next year is going to be an epic year,” Miller said. “We have no concrete plans, just to blow up what we’ve already been doing on a whole other level with an epic label. I’ll release a new single and album with Warner Bros., and go overseas and maybe do a little European tour.”
Miller will no doubt be successful in his future plans. Hopefully he continues to convey frustrations on his next album. In “Us Against Them,” he utilized anger to show a glimmer of truth amongst radio-friendly beats and lyrics. Adding depth to his music repertoire will definitely take Miller to a higher level.