Don’t waste another minute if you haven’t yet heard Macklemore’s album The Heist; get on iTunes, YouTube, Pandora, Grooveshark, or Spotify and listen to it. It is by far the best rap album of 2012.
Ben Haggerty, known by his stage name Macklemore, in conjunction with young producer Ryan Lewis, released his first studio album on October 9th 2012. The Heist quickly rose to the top of the charts, landing number 1 on iTunes within hours of its release, number 2 on US Billboard 200, and selling over 78, 000 copies within the first week, all without any mainstream promotion or support.
Macklemore is not your typical rapper. He studied at Evergreen State University, and during his time as a student he worked with Gateways for Incarcerated Youth. He is an intellectual humanitarian activist and gay rights advocate, and he is concerned with reaching the younger generation and educating youth about cultural identity.
The most notable aspect of The Heist is its vulnerability. Macklemore doesn’t simply expose his life in any voyeuristic fashion, nor does he get carried away whining about the hardships of wealth and popularity. Instead, he is honest about the socio-economic issues that affect so many of us.
While Haggerty did check himself into rehab for drug-addiction in 2008, this only further fueled his desire to take a stand against drug use. With lyrics like, “That’s the same stuff Weezy’s sippin’… And tons of other rappers that be spittin’ hard,” he calls out Lil Wayne and other mainstream artists whose work makes light of drug abuse. He continues to sing in “Starting Over”, “If I can be an example of getting sober, then I can be an example of starting over.”
The Heist is also filled with theological and philosophical contemplations that have been lacking in popular music. In his single “Same Love,” he addresses the long lasting homophobia that exists not only in our culture but especially in rap, singing, “If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me.”
He continues to write, “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… No freedom till we’re equal, damn right I support it.”
Another issue Macklemore engages with is our cultural addiction to consumerism. He addresses this with a hint of humor in his hit single “Thrift Shop,” attacking the ridiculousness of consumerism with witty lines like, “oh that Gucci – That’s hella tight. I’m like, “Yo – that’s fifty dollars for a T-shirt… I call that getting tricked by a business.”
Macklemore doesn’t stop there, though; in “Wings” he continues to discuss how consumerism does more than just take our money — it destroys lives. He raps about a boy being killed for his Nike Air Force IV’s. He writes, “I’m an individual, yeah, but I’m part of a movement. My movement told me, be a consumer and I consumed it… I look inside the mirror and think Phil Knight tricked us all, these Nikes help me define me, but I’m trying to take mine off.”
Macklemore’s music is refreshing. The Heist, as its name suggests, is attempting to “steal back” any preconceived notions in regards to rap. Macklemore is concerned with the socio-economic, gender-based, racial and religious issues that plague us as a society. This album is more than just a chart topper; it is one of the most important critiques of our society and a fantastic piece of artwork.