Mac Miller "was a creation machine".

The rap star died in September 2018, aged 26, after taking an accidental drug overdose, and producer Eric Dan has now claimed that Mac was "just starting to come into his own" as an artist.

Eric - who worked with Mac since he was a teenager - told 'Newsbeat': "That period [around 2014] was like a creative renaissance for him. He was a creation machine."

Mac's second posthumous album, 'Balloonerism', was released earlier this month, and Eric has revealed that it's largely untouched.

He said: " We made a conscious decision to keep things as they were and not go back and 'fix' mistakes, tune things or add anything.

"The rough edges were part of its charm and highlighted where Mac was creatively at that time."

Audio engineer Josh Berg - who worked with Mac in 2013 and 2014 - believes the new record feels "authentic and real".

He explained: "Once you start pulling everything apart and dusting it off, it starts to lose its magic.

"It's beautiful to release an album that's not so scoured of imperfection, that's authentic and real."

Mac's family previously explained why they wanted to share 'Balloonerism' with his fans.

Songs from the album had previously been leaked online, but the family wished to "present an official version of the project to the world".

They said in a statement: "We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist.

"Given that unofficial versions of the album have circulated online for years and that releasing 'Balloonerism' was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world."