Macklemore has had a lot of success lately and maybe because he gives music fans a different kind of rap music. Most of his stuff has a conscience and is filled with social commentary. It is not your typical girls, money and cars rap music. That continues on the follow up to 2012’s monster hit The Heist. On This Unruly Mess I’ve Made it seems like he is even questioning fame. Or the fame he has gained now that he is a household name. Rather than think he is being rather self-indulgent you see that he is quite an introspective guy. If you think that the album is going to be as upbeat as the lead single “Downtown” then you are going to be disappointed. More typical of the album’s pragmatism is the poignant song to his daughter, “Growing Up (Sloane’s Song)”. It is like a letter to his daughter advising her on all the things she needs to know about life and what is truly important. There are plenty of “oh wow” moments lyrically here and the nine minute track “White Privilege II” is chock full of them. I don’t want to overstate things here, but Macklemore is edging up to KRS-One territory with all his plain talk about the state of the world. And by stating that I have countered the argument that has been circulating that he should not be considered part of the hip hop world. He is a rapper just one who uses he heart and brain.
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – This Unruly Mess I’ve Made
