By Jason Greenough | Arts & Entertainment Editor
Macklemore.com
They’ve done it again. My God, the Seattle Hip-Hop superstar duo known as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have done it again.
With the February release of sophomore effort This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, Macklemore has broken down more barriers in not just Hip-Hop as a genre of music, but one of social and political awareness, as well. From the opening horns of Light Tunnels, the Seattle native begins to share a chronicle of success following his debut smash-hit album, The Heist. In the four years since that release, there have been many dips and turns in the road for Macklemore, and he says that to you, upfront and unfiltered. Unprecedented fame and notoriety, the ups and downs of that fame, a relapse in sobriety, learning he was going to be a Father, and being cited and approached for political and social advice are all covered and discussed in this new record, and quite artistically I might add.
Now, to be honest, I was a little skeptical before listening. All I could think was “how in the world is he going to top ‘Heist’?” I loved The Heist. Every song on that album, I can say with confidence, hold their own great value, and it will go down as one of the greatest Hip-Hop records of all-time. He won a Grammy for it, it’s been certified platinum, and it topped out at number 3 on the Billboard Top Rap Album charts of 2012. He did this all on his own, too, without the help of a label. So, how could he possibly find a way to top Heist? Well, he may have found a way.
From the opening verse of the first song, he goes straight for the jugular of some of the most “un-touchable” institutions in America. He calls out the fake nature of the Academy in Light Tunnels, the Pharmaceutical industry in Kevin, and with arguably his most thought-provoking track, White Privilege II, he tackles the controversy surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, and the criticism he (and the movement itself) have heard for their roles in the political and social landscape. He’s continued to use his platform to bring awareness to real-world issues, and the way he does it is something quite masterful. That’s not to say he didn’t have fun with this album, though.
The album’s first single Downtown pays homage to his native Seattle, and the many cultural standouts that give the city character. You may reference the video for this, as he brings more hometown flavor to the song in the Music Video, and with references to Mopeds and Ken Griffey Jr., the Seattle Mariners’ perpetual Baseball hero, Ben Haggerty (Yes, he does have a real name, and no, it isn’t Macklemore) brings the city into a new light. Ed Sheeran appears on Growing Up, a song written for the newest member of the Shark Face Gang, Sloane, Macklemore’s baby Daughter, and puts his own well-known brand of heart and soul into the tune. With other songs on the album handling goofier topics, such as Let’s Eat, Brad Pitt’s Cousin,or Dance Off,which features Idris Elba, Macklemore fully rounds out a passionate and well-crafted record, with a balance of powerful and playful, timeliness and timelessness, and an overall desire that signifies many things, but possibly none more important than the reminder that Macklemore isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. And that will make a lot of people happy.
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