Ariana Grande’s 2013 breakout hit “The Way” featuring Mac Miller remains a defining milestone in early 2010s pop and hip-hop collaboration, known for its iconic sample of Big Pun’s “Still Not a Player” and its prominent placement on Los Angeles radio institution Power 106’s LIFTOFF show with J Cruz and Justin Credible. Released as the lead single from Grande’s debut studio album Yours Truly, the track showcases the initial artistic intersection of two rising stars who would shape the decade’s music landscape.
The Production and Sampling History of “The Way”
Produced by Harmony Samuels, who co-wrote the track alongside Amber Streeter, Al Sherrod Lambert, Jordin Sparks, Brenda Russell, and Malcolm McCormick (Mac Miller), “The Way” relies heavily on the interpolation of the 1998 hit “Still Not a Player” by Big Pun featuring Joe. According to music copyright records and production credits, the core piano loop is also drawn directly from Brenda Russell’s 1979 song “A Little Bit of Love.” This layered sampling gave the track an immediate R&B nostalgia that appealed simultaneously to adult contemporary listeners and the emerging generation of digital-era pop fans, according to retrospective analysis from Billboard.
Chart Performance and Radio Legacy
Upon its March 2013 release by Republic Records, “The Way” climbed rapidly to number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking Grande’s first top-ten entry on the chart and Mac Miller’s first as well. The track received heavy rotation across major urban and rhythmic contemporary radio stations, including sustained support on Los Angeles outlets like Power 106. Industry data shows the single eventually earned a triple-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), solidifying its commercial staying power.
Collaborative Impact and Cultural Context
The chemistry between Grande and Miller on “The Way” established a long-term creative and personal relationship that spanned several years, culminating in subsequent collaborations like “My Favorite Part” from Miller’s 2016 album The Divine Feminine. Music critics writing for outlets such as Rolling Stone have frequently cited “The Way” as a crucial turning point that transitioned Grande successfully from her Disney Channel origins on Victorious to a credible, independent pop and R&B powerhouse.
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