MACKLEMORE: I put myself in the place of the listener when editing my writing.
How do you think you’ve been able to pull that off? In a time when most of his contemporaries aren’t saying much of anything, he’s saying a lot.Ī day before the release of The Heist, Macklemore’s debut LP with producer Ryan Lewis, we spoke with him about his faith, gay marriage, and rapping for 10,000 hours.ĭAN BUYANOVSKY: People call you a conscious rapper, and you do make conscious, socially aware hip-hop music, but you’re never pandering or heavy-handed. One is a land of boasts, women, and riches, expertly detailed by new pop legends like Drake and Rick Ross and the other is a grittier world, marked by an uprising internet-based mainstream where hardcore young rappers like Chief Keef shoot homemade videos about gang violence, and blow up with such white-hot speed that major labels and journalists alike can’t keep up.ĭespite being the odd ones out, Macklemore and Lewis have made a case for their recent success with a string of honest, challenging songs like “Wings,” an ode to the sneakerhead and the unrelenting consumerist culture that engulfs him “Otherside,” a Red Hot Chili Peppers-sampling rap ballad detailing a hard-fought return to sobriety and most recently, “Same Love,” a soft and beautiful statement on sexuality, homophobia, and gay rights.Īs a lyricist, Macklemore presents himself as a flawed individual, a scarred artist who has seen the other side and has come back to inspire his fans and listeners with not only cautionary tales but also confessions of his own missteps. Not only are they two white guys from Seattle making hip-hop, they’re two white guys from Seattle making hip-hop unlike any other.Īs musicians who blend pop-anthem production with mindful lyrical content, the duo stand between two distinct worlds.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s popularity doesn’t entirely make sense.
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