8 ms·

This guy is incredible! Actually rapping about things that matter. Seems trivial but it's a huge undertaking. Applaud and support the effort. Will keep buying

marknutter 14y ago
> This guy is incredible! Actually rapping about things that matter. to you..
- CGamesPlay 14y ago
  In any case, rapping about social issues rather than how much money and women he can collect. Sure, he's got for fun songs like Thrift Shop, but his music is creating awareness of active social issues. Otherside, about drug abuse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvDQy53eldY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvDQy53eldY Same Love, about gay rights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0
  - salemh 14y ago
    Thank you! I thought I had seen Otherside somewhere. Since it was a bit back, I never would have equated such an emotional / well produced song with the same artist as Thrift Shop (also exceptionally produced, but such a different emotive affect). I'm always interested in when artists can "recreate" quality versus a single one-and-done, i.e. can they continually output "hits" versus just a singular confluence (luck, the right creative spot, a band member, who knows).
ritchiea 14y ago
like thrift shops?
- nickv 14y ago
  He might be referring to another one of his songs, "Same Love"... sampling of lyrics: If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me Have you read the YouTube comments lately "Man, that’s gay" gets dropped on the daily We become so numb to what we’re saying A culture founded from oppression Yet we don’t have acceptance for ‘em Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it Gay is synonymous with the lesser It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference! Live on and be yourself When I was at church they taught me something else If you preach hate at the service those words aren’t anointed That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen I might not be the same, but that’s not important No freedom till we’re equal, damn right I support it
- varikin 14y ago
  Gay rights (Same Love - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0) What shoes you wear are not important (Wing$ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAg3uMlNyHA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAg3uMlNyHA) I know this doesn't seem important, but just listen. It is heart retching.
  - ritchiea 14y ago
    Did you grow up in a place where what shoes you wear is considered important? Or that gays were considered second class citizens? I'm curious because I did and I suspect his music won't reach those kinds of audiences. He seems like a "preaching to the choir" kind of issues musician. Which is fine, it's hard to reach people who aren't inherently your audience. But I also think if you're a musician and you know you're talking to a certain audience and your message is political, it's a higher bar for your message to be political and meaningful. This guy is from Seattle, if he's talking about gay rights and what shoes you should wear, that's kind of an easy target for a region like the pacific NW. It kind of becomes a critique of people who aren't like you rather than a message that we can be a better culture. There's a real danger of the message becoming "the burden of improving society is on those of you who aren't already as thoughtful as I am."
    - smallegan 14y ago
      I disagree he seems pretty close to the issues he discusses, or maybe I am misunderstanding what you are saying? From Wings: "And then my friend Carlos’ brother got murdered for his fours" And in Same Love he talks about how his Uncle is gay. In 2008 he was in rehab for drug/alcohol abuse.
    - doktrin 14y ago
      > Did you grow up in a place where what shoes you wear is considered important? Or that gays were considered second class citizens? Seattle and the Pacific NW is a big place. Certainly, it's more liberal on average than most other regions in the US, but I would be wary making wide assumptions. For instance, I went to college at Evergreen, in Olympia. While the city itself was exceedingly liberal, it wasn't uncommon to drive out to surrounding areas and see signs on someone's property disparaging homosexuals, liberals or what have you. Granted, though, his audience (as in, his fans) are prone to agree with him. However that holds true for most artists. We always self-select based on our tastes. > But I also think if you're a musician and you know you're talking to a certain audience and your message is political, it's a higher bar for your message to be political and meaningful. This is a fair point. I'm (genuinely) curious : what are some artists who you feel have conveyed a political message, either outside their fan base or who have in some other way met that high bar? I suppose, thinking out loud, that Bob Dylan or John Lennon come to mind, partly based on the sheer circulation and relative timelessness of their work.
s1kx 14y ago
"I'm hunting, looking for a come-up. This is f*ing awesome." So deep I can't even see you anymore. On a serious note though, I don't need these lyrics to be deeply philosophical, it rocks even rapping about grandpa's clothes.
- nthitz 14y ago
  Try Same Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0
- vertr 14y ago
  Maybe not "deep" but a lot of his lyrics are social commentary.
billbrown 14y ago
If you want clever lyrics about topics other than drugs, wealth, and cards, might I suggest MC Frontalot or Abdominal? Heck, even MC Lars is better. http://frontalot.com/ http://frontalot.com/ http://mcabdominal.com/ http://mcabdominal.com/ http://mclars.com/site/ http://mclars.com/site/
- nwienert 14y ago
  Better than... ? Why even put that. Macklemore is the amazing, no need to act like your opinion of music is better. If you want some amazing and positive lyricists check out Little Brother, Blu & Exile, Louis Logic and Brother Ali as well.
  - billbrown 14y ago
    I've never heard anything of Macklemore's aside from Thrift Shop so my statement was too general. But I wasn't saying that my music tastes were better than anyone's--that's ridiculous: they're just my opinions. I think Thrift Shop wasn't particularly clever compared to the artist I listed. I was communicating some other artists that I liked, just like you did. In your own tastes, you rank some music as better than others right?
    - nwienert 14y ago
      Yup, absolutely. But how can we have a conversation if you've never even listened to any of his other stuff? Thrift shop is his one-off single, and not nearly as full of meaning his other stuff. You said "heck, even [...] is better", saying you think those artists are "better" than him, and now knowing you hadn't even listened it seems you just wanted a chance to show off some guys you like. Fair enough, just no need to hate at the same time is all I was saying.
- ajtaylor 14y ago
  I'm loving MC Frontalot! Thanks for the pointer.
Avshalom 14y ago
Rap has been politically conscious from pretty much day 1, day 3 at the very latest.
- doktrin 14y ago
  This. Painting Macklemore as a trailblazer for being politically conscious is absurd or sheltered. I think his work is commendable on several grounds, but it's not in being a pioneer of progressive or political hip hop.
jmduke 14y ago
Ugh. From Macklemore's single White Privilege: > Now I don't rap about guns so they label me conscious > But I don't rap about guns cause I wasn't forced into the projects > See I was put in the position where I could chose my options > Blessed with the privilege that my parent's could send me to college Pretty much everyone in hiphop is rapping about things that matter. You probably just don't like a lot of black hiphop.
- streptomycin 14y ago
  Along these lines, I like what Talib Qweli said about Lil Wayne http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbmTj-u1LMg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbmTj-u1LMg
yardie 14y ago
> Actually rapping about things that matter. There are a lot of rappers (black, white, filipino, chinese) that rap about these things. One of my favourite mainstream artists is Common who has managed to avoid gun and gang culture and produced a few conscious songs that also were club bangers.
yardie 14y ago
> Actually rapping about things that matter. There are a lot of rappers (black, white, filipino, chinese) that rap about these things. One of my favourite mainstream artists is Common who has managed to avoid gun and gang culture and produced a few conscious songs that also were club bangers.

marknutter 14y ago

> This guy is incredible! Actually rapping about things that matter. to you..

CGamesPlay 14y ago
In any case, rapping about social issues rather than how much money and women he can collect. Sure, he's got for fun songs like Thrift Shop, but his music is creating awareness of active social issues. Otherside, about drug abuse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvDQy53eldY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvDQy53eldY Same Love, about gay rights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0
- salemh 14y ago
  Thank you! I thought I had seen Otherside somewhere. Since it was a bit back, I never would have equated such an emotional / well produced song with the same artist as Thrift Shop (also exceptionally produced, but such a different emotive affect). I'm always interested in when artists can "recreate" quality versus a single one-and-done, i.e. can they continually output "hits" versus just a singular confluence (luck, the right creative spot, a band member, who knows).

ritchiea 14y ago

like thrift shops?

nickv 14y ago
He might be referring to another one of his songs, "Same Love"... sampling of lyrics: If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me Have you read the YouTube comments lately "Man, that’s gay" gets dropped on the daily We become so numb to what we’re saying A culture founded from oppression Yet we don’t have acceptance for ‘em Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it Gay is synonymous with the lesser It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference! Live on and be yourself When I was at church they taught me something else If you preach hate at the service those words aren’t anointed That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen I might not be the same, but that’s not important No freedom till we’re equal, damn right I support it
varikin 14y ago
Gay rights (Same Love - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0) What shoes you wear are not important (Wing$ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAg3uMlNyHA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAg3uMlNyHA) I know this doesn't seem important, but just listen. It is heart retching.
- ritchiea 14y ago
  Did you grow up in a place where what shoes you wear is considered important? Or that gays were considered second class citizens? I'm curious because I did and I suspect his music won't reach those kinds of audiences. He seems like a "preaching to the choir" kind of issues musician. Which is fine, it's hard to reach people who aren't inherently your audience. But I also think if you're a musician and you know you're talking to a certain audience and your message is political, it's a higher bar for your message to be political and meaningful. This guy is from Seattle, if he's talking about gay rights and what shoes you should wear, that's kind of an easy target for a region like the pacific NW. It kind of becomes a critique of people who aren't like you rather than a message that we can be a better culture. There's a real danger of the message becoming "the burden of improving society is on those of you who aren't already as thoughtful as I am."
  - smallegan 14y ago
    I disagree he seems pretty close to the issues he discusses, or maybe I am misunderstanding what you are saying? From Wings: "And then my friend Carlos’ brother got murdered for his fours" And in Same Love he talks about how his Uncle is gay. In 2008 he was in rehab for drug/alcohol abuse.
  - doktrin 14y ago
    > Did you grow up in a place where what shoes you wear is considered important? Or that gays were considered second class citizens? Seattle and the Pacific NW is a big place. Certainly, it's more liberal on average than most other regions in the US, but I would be wary making wide assumptions. For instance, I went to college at Evergreen, in Olympia. While the city itself was exceedingly liberal, it wasn't uncommon to drive out to surrounding areas and see signs on someone's property disparaging homosexuals, liberals or what have you. Granted, though, his audience (as in, his fans) are prone to agree with him. However that holds true for most artists. We always self-select based on our tastes. > But I also think if you're a musician and you know you're talking to a certain audience and your message is political, it's a higher bar for your message to be political and meaningful. This is a fair point. I'm (genuinely) curious : what are some artists who you feel have conveyed a political message, either outside their fan base or who have in some other way met that high bar? I suppose, thinking out loud, that Bob Dylan or John Lennon come to mind, partly based on the sheer circulation and relative timelessness of their work.

s1kx 14y ago

"I'm hunting, looking for a come-up. This is f*ing awesome." So deep I can't even see you anymore. On a serious note though, I don't need these lyrics to be deeply philosophical, it rocks even rapping about grandpa's clothes.

nthitz 14y ago
Try Same Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0
vertr 14y ago
Maybe not "deep" but a lot of his lyrics are social commentary.

billbrown 14y ago

If you want clever lyrics about topics other than drugs, wealth, and cards, might I suggest MC Frontalot or Abdominal? Heck, even MC Lars is better. http://frontalot.com/ http://frontalot.com/ http://mcabdominal.com/ http://mcabdominal.com/ http://mclars.com/site/ http://mclars.com/site/

nwienert 14y ago
Better than... ? Why even put that. Macklemore is the amazing, no need to act like your opinion of music is better. If you want some amazing and positive lyricists check out Little Brother, Blu & Exile, Louis Logic and Brother Ali as well.
- billbrown 14y ago
  I've never heard anything of Macklemore's aside from Thrift Shop so my statement was too general. But I wasn't saying that my music tastes were better than anyone's--that's ridiculous: they're just my opinions. I think Thrift Shop wasn't particularly clever compared to the artist I listed. I was communicating some other artists that I liked, just like you did. In your own tastes, you rank some music as better than others right?
  - nwienert 14y ago
    Yup, absolutely. But how can we have a conversation if you've never even listened to any of his other stuff? Thrift shop is his one-off single, and not nearly as full of meaning his other stuff. You said "heck, even [...] is better", saying you think those artists are "better" than him, and now knowing you hadn't even listened it seems you just wanted a chance to show off some guys you like. Fair enough, just no need to hate at the same time is all I was saying.
ajtaylor 14y ago
I'm loving MC Frontalot! Thanks for the pointer.

Avshalom 14y ago

Rap has been politically conscious from pretty much day 1, day 3 at the very latest.

doktrin 14y ago
This. Painting Macklemore as a trailblazer for being politically conscious is absurd or sheltered. I think his work is commendable on several grounds, but it's not in being a pioneer of progressive or political hip hop.

jmduke 14y ago

Ugh. From Macklemore's single White Privilege: > Now I don't rap about guns so they label me conscious > But I don't rap about guns cause I wasn't forced into the projects > See I was put in the position where I could chose my options > Blessed with the privilege that my parent's could send me to college Pretty much everyone in hiphop is rapping about things that matter. You probably just don't like a lot of black hiphop.

streptomycin 14y ago
Along these lines, I like what Talib Qweli said about Lil Wayne http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbmTj-u1LMg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbmTj-u1LMg

yardie 14y ago

> Actually rapping about things that matter. There are a lot of rappers (black, white, filipino, chinese) that rap about these things. One of my favourite mainstream artists is Common who has managed to avoid gun and gang culture and produced a few conscious songs that also were club bangers.

yardie 14y ago