It can easily be said that Macklemore has taken over as the face of pop rap over the last few years. Loved by the mainstream audience, but despised by many self proclaimed hip-hop heads, he's been put into a tough position because of his success. As an underground Seattle rapper, he released his fair share of projects, including his sole full-length album as a solo artist The Language of My World back in 2005. However, it wasn't until he met producer Ryan Lewis and the two decided to team-up that his career began to take off.
As a duo, the two independently released two EP's before their debut album The Heist hit stores in 2012. Packed full of decent production and fairly average pop rap rhymes, it was the subject matter of tracks like Same Love, and the catchiness and comedic punchlines of hits like Thrift Shop that helped the duo rise to the top of the charts. Of course it wasn't all smooth sailing for the duo however, as they received a fair bit of backlash from the rap community, especially when they were awarded the Grammy for rap album of the year in 2013 over Kendrick Lamar and his monumental release Good Kid MAAD City. The duo refused to let the lukewarm reception get to them though, and tracks like the new album This Unruly Mess's lead single Downtown made it clear they weren't prepared to back away from the pop sound anytime soon. That eventually became an afterthought however, as last month with the release of the album's second single White Privilege II, Macklemore took on a very important topic, and despite early criticism from your's truly, I've grown to enjoy the track quite a bit and respect it not only for it's relevancy, but also for what Macklemore offers lyrically.
Even with one solid single, I still went into this album expecting to be disappointed by sugary pop hooks and cringe worthy attempts at musical comedy. Nonetheless, I felt the need to give it the time of day, and astonishingly, I ended up being quite impressed.
The album kicks things off with one of the best lyrical displays Macklemore has offered thus far in his career, as Light Tunnels see's the Seattle emcee detail his experience at the Grammy awards and his thoughts during his upset win for rap album of the year. We also get a peak into the mind of the rapper, as he mentions how insecure and uncomfortable the award made him, as well as how much he began to doubt his skill after the criticism he received. Lines like "I don't like who I am in this environment, I forgot what this art's for" help reinforce what he explains throughout many of the albums deeper moments, which is that he cares about hip-hop and can offer more than just being "another white radio rapper." The song's chorus, sung by Mike Slap is the same generic pop hook I've come to expect from Macklemore, but it isn't enough to stop me from enjoying this track, as the introspective bars have me actually caring about what the emcee is saying, something that very rarely happened on his last album.
Other deep cuts like the aforementioned White Privilege II which serves as the closer, and Kevin a track that features Leon Bridges and details the overdose of one of Macklemore's childhood friend's, show us a much more honest, down to earth conscious hip-hop side of the duo that I didn't expect to find on this record. In the past, with songs like Same Love, I've felt like Macklemore was simply using current world issues for his own gain, and while I'm not necessarily convinced that wasn't the case in the past, I don't feel that way with these cuts on Unruly Mess, because there's a touch of sincerity, and it feels like there's something to prove with each line delivered.
It's not all positives on the album though, and that same cheesy mainstream pop culture artist who we've come to know appears multiple times on the album. Downtown is an obvious example of that style, but we get tracks like Brad Pitt's Cousin, Dance Off, and Let's Eat as well which see rather lackluster punch lines and weak attempts to brag. I struggle to take Macklemore serious when he takes a braggadocios lyrical approach, and the overly radio friendly production doesn't do much to elevate the tracks either. There are however, a handful of cuts that sit somewhere between those that are self reflective and the others that are drenched in pop influence. Buckshot, a cut that features New York hip-hop veteran KRS-One and iconic producer DJ Premier centres around Macklemore's experience with graffiti art, something that any one familiar with KRS-One will know he also is well versed in. It's a very enjoyable track, and sits on the fun side without relying on too clean of a chorus or too much pop influence. The indie-rock flavored instrumental on St. Ides is another one of the album's highlights, as the lyrics reflect on Macklemore's history of alcohol abuse. The twangy guitar featured on the track helps make it one of the better beats throughout the project as well.
I've breezed over White Privilege II a few times already throughout this review, but I feel like it's important to address the track a bit further. The song of course discusses the black lives matter movement and the ongoing struggle between black youth and police officers in the United States. Macklemore mentions the silence he and many other white artists have resorted to while the incidents continue to occur, and he also reflects on the hip-hop culture and those who consider him to have "stolen the sound" for his own gain. I have already said I was dismissive of the song at first listen, but since I've come to respect the emcee more, not for making a track on something important, but as serving as the connection between what's occurring and a mainstream audience. No, you shouldn't feel sympathy for Macklemore when hearing this track, but it's purpose is instead to inspire those who have set in silence and have remained uninvolved with protests and demonstrations to stand-up and be heard. Regardless of your opinions on the matter, it's a track that warrants a listen for the power behind the message alone, and the lyrical display from a man who prior to this track was nothing more than a boring pop rapper, at least in my opinion.
The best moments on This Unruly Mess I've Made are easily the best that the duo have offered since they began teaming up, and I'm very impressed with what they've done throughout the LP. Unfortunately, there are still a handful of tracks that feel phoned in, as if the sole reason they were included was to appeal to a more a mainstream audience, and that hurts the album quite a bit. Nevertheless, my opinion on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis has been altered quite a bit, and I now see a lot more potential in their sound. If they can trim out some of the more uninspired moments in the future, Macklemore will have plenty more award shows to write about.
Rating: 3.5/5
You can listen to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' White Privilege II below:
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