Every once in a blue moon, an artist comes around that reminds you why you love music. This artist does it for love, not for money. This artist strives to be memorable not for the accompanying fame but for the spreading of a message. This artist has life experience just like you and me, but has a way of converting it into an art form that few people on Earth can replicate. This artist shares their gift with hope that others might be able to relate to, to associate with, and to grow
and learn from it. The result is astounding "” music that is pure joy to experience.
The most recent artist to have this effect on me goes by the name of Macklemore. It is no wonder why he talks about life and its struggles, about self esteem and loneliness "” he has been sober for 24 months and counting. Having grown and matured by way of addiction and recovery, Mack boasts perspective with which few artists compare. A sprinkling of self-deprecation and ironic societal critique offers solace from his other dark and emotional tracks "” and both show that he is above typical rapthink.
Take away drugs, alcohol, and ego and most every rapper on the radio would be out of lyrics. Is Lil Wayne even capable of rapping sober? Weezy is now permanently associated with his addiction to promethazine-codeine cough syrup in the eyes of every teenage kid who listens to him, and will be until he drastically changes his tune. Take away weed and what can artists like Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y even talk about? It consumes their lives, and perpetuates a false image of reality for their fans. Wiz Tweeted "bong snaps then headed to tha studio. ima have a steak hoagie meet me there. gang gang," earlier today. Curren$y: "I waketh"¦ I baketh"¦ Late night fucked up all kinda shit"¦ Now to pick up the pieces"¦" just last night. At least 250,000 people saw those proclamations on Twitter, and many more see drug-oriented Tweets from them day after day.
Now take away ego. Does Jay-Z have a single platinum album in the last decade if he isn't allowed to talk about how great he is? Can Diddy build an empire on a foundation of humility? Let's just say that didn't work out for his friend, Ma$e. Not that I don't enjoy these artists as much as the next guy. But at some point, we have to appreciate those who can make enthralling music "” in a genre dominated by popular misdirection "” while not just restraining from stooping to those same levels of negativity but creating something inherently positive.
Sometimes drug abuse and selfishness just seems like a bunch of fun and games enacted by endearingly flawed icons, living a life worlds away from ours that we can't possibly understand. However, Macklemore puts it best when he says, "He just wanted to act like them/He just wanted to rap like him/Us as rappers underestimate the power and the effects we have on these kids." America is in danger of breeding a generation of kids who cannot only justify but also rationalize drug use and self-absorption because of the very people we idolize. But there is hope. It comes in the form of a red-haired Irishman from a humble Seattle background, with a rare gift and a new grasp on his potential. And Macklemore is capturing hearts and minds all over the country, one crowd at a time.
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