Macklemore Ponders Hip-Hop’s Bad Influences On A Song With DJ Premier
<span data-preserver-spaces="true">It has been over a decade since Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' mainstream breakthrough, </span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Heist</span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">. Promoted with <a href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2012/09/macklemore-the-backroom-freestyle-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressive <em>Backroom</em> freestyles</a> and more, the album <a href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2013/04/macklemore-ryan-lewis-cant-hold-us-ft-ray-dalton-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dealt with industry triumphs</a>, <a href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2012/10/macklemore-ryan-lewis-same-love-ft-mary-lambert-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sexual equality</a>, and more. The against-the-grain</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2012/10/macklemore-ryan-lewis-the-heist-full-album-stream/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> LP</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> featuring ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul would eventually (and somewhat controversially)</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2014/01/macklemore-ryan-lewis-win-the-2014-grammy-award-for-rap-song-album/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> win "Best Rap Album" at the 2014 Grammy Awards, while "Thrift Shop" took home "Best Rap Song" and "Best Rap Performance." The MC/producer battery also secured "Best New Artist."</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> These wins came against fellow early 2010s breakthrough acts Kendrick Lamar and Drake, as well as legends like JAY-Z, Eminem, and Kanye West.</span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">While Seattle, Washington's Macklemore, who had been releasing projects since the mid-2000s, had achieved some rare air as a DIY veteran, the success came with a backlash. However, the artist born Ben Haggerty handled things differently than most. </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2014/01/macklemore-tells-kendrick-lamar-he-got-robbed-by-not-winning-best-rap-album-see-the-texts-photos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Macklemore texted fellow West Coast act Kendrick Lamar that he felt the Compton, California MC was "robbed" for </span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">good kid, m.a.a.d city </span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">not winning</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">. Nine years ago this month, </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2014/01/macklemore-believes-race-other-factors-contributed-to-his-4-grammy-award-wins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">the then 30-year-old white MC told </span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">HOT 97</span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> that he felt race was a factor in his Grammy wins</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">. Meanwhile, </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2014/02/drake-thinks-macklemores-post-grammy-text-to-kendrick-lamar-was-wack-as-fck/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Drake was among those who criticized Macklemore's reactions</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">. Around this time, there was speculation that another Underground Hip-Hop mainstay, </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2014/05/brother-ali-goes-on-the-attack-in-a-freestyle-but-whos-the-target-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Brother Ali, was speaking out against Macklemore, including through a vicious </span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Sway In The Morning </span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">freestyle</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">.</span> <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2014/01/macklemore-kendrick-lamar-how-hip-hop-not-the-grammys-turned-sunday-into-a-fail-food-for-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Macklemore & Kendrick Lamar: How Hip-Hop (Not The Grammy's) Turned 2014's Event Into a Fail (Food For Thought)</span></a> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">In the months and years that followed, Macklemore intentionally showed his Hip-Hop roots. 2016's </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2kqn09pydzvKvB3xWbAxY4?si=r8N7mIOyQwaPryJxrf0BxA" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">This Unruly Mess I've Made</span></em></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> included </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2015/08/macklemore-collaborates-with-melle-mel-grandmaster-caz-kool-moe-dee-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">involvement from cultural pioneers like Grandmaster Caz, Melle Mel, and Kool Moe Dee</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">, as well as </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2016/02/macklemore-releases-buckshot-with-krs-one-dj-premier-is-that-real-hip-hop-enough-audio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">features from legends such as DJ Premier and KRS-One</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">. </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2015/08/macklemore-melle-mel-grandmaster-caz-kool-moe-dee-stage-an-epic-vma-opening-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Ben brought Caz, Mel, and Moe Dee to the MTV Video Music Awards</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">, earning </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2015/09/big-daddy-kane-praises-macklemores-inclusion-of-hip-hop-pioneers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">some strong support from Big Daddy Kane</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">, who said that the Pacific Northwest was doing more for the cultural forefathers than his peers. Macklemore also made </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2016/01/macklemore-says-white-people-should-help-in-todays-racial-struggles-is-that-enough-audio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">multiple volumes of songs about "White Privilege,"</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> which he cited as part of his Grammy wins.</span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Since then, Macklemore has lent his voice and profile to </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2016/05/president-obama-macklemore-say-it-loud-clear-opioid-addiction-is-killing-us-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">fighting the opioid crisis (alongside President Barack Obama)</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> and</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2016/10/macklemore-drug-dealer-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> big pharma</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">, </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2016/08/yg-g-eazy-macklemore-fdt-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">speaking out against politicians with opposing views</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">, and more.</span> <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2015/09/big-daddy-kane-praises-macklemores-inclusion-of-hip-hop-pioneers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Big Daddy Kane Defends Macklemore, Praises Inclusion Of Rap Pioneers</span></a> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Since 2017's </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/72qA6s4fjF8Y2VX1UDMfp2?si=InWVymkKRUiZ0NApTEsLYQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Gemini</span></em></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">, it's been quieter for Macklemore. During those five years, he and Ryan Lewis have released a handful of loosies and done some feature work but kept it low-key. Kicking off 2023, Ben returns with "Heroes," a video single that marks a reunion with Preemo. Produced by longtime collaborator Budo (Grieves, Lucyiam, Dessa), the track finds Macklemore discussing Hip-Hop's impact on his life and come-up. However, the imagery is different from what Heads may expect. "Heroes" differs significantly from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrUERC2Zk64" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Common's "I Used To Love H.E.R."</a> or even <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JZom_gVfuw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biggie's "Juicy."</a> This one seems to be about bad influences.</span> <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ynlD8U_TvTs" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> "<em>When I grew up, criminal were my heroes / The beanie from</em> New Jersey Drive <em>over my earlobes / From jump, it was always f*ck cops and the bureau / Mix of 'Casper,' Harold Hunter, and De Niro / Now I'm with my kids and we watchin'</em> Olaf <em>/ And I'm like, 'Damn, used to wanna be like 'O-Dawg' / Tuck the deuce-deuce under the goose, boostin' y'all / Couple screws loose, cashier turns, poof, I'm gone / Seven, I heard N.W.A. in the street / From my older neighbor who was playin' 'F*ck Tha Police' / Eleven, writin' graffiti, 15, I'm sellin' weed / By 16, I had an MPC / It was Hip Hop's fault that I wanted to grow up / Sell drugs, smoke, drink Mad Dog and f*ck / Wanted a windbreaker and some Eastbay kicks / Wanted a perm like DJ Quik / My mama said, 'Ben, are you aware your hair is way too thin?' / But in my mind, I was junior high</em> Iceberg Slim <em>/ Feelin' fine, gettin' high, spendin' time with a b*tch / Takin' Heineken sips, this is live as it gets, sh*t.</em>" <a href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2016/02/macklemore-releases-buckshot-with-krs-one-dj-premier-is-that-real-hip-hop-enough-audio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Macklemore Releases “Buckshot” With KRS-One & DJ Premier. Is That “Real Hip-Hop” Enough? (Audio)</a> Premier handles the scratch chorus (and appears in the music video), before Macklemore emphasizes his unique message in the second verse. "<em>My heroes didn't look yours / My heroes didn't look yours, nah, nah / They didn't work a nine-to-five, they worked a five-to-four / </em><em>Woke up at three and recordin' more / See, my heroes died of overdoses, ridin' for the culture / Mind tied to psychosis, all the lies in show biz / My heroes shot dope and inhaled blow in their noses / Got locked up, got out, and did some more sh*t.</em>" He raps about how Hip-Hop, pulp reading, films like <em>Kids</em> and <em>Menace II Society</em>, and more, influenced him. However, in addition to making beats and questioning police, he shouts out crime, overdoses, smoking angel dust, and other things that make this homage a bit different. He closes out in this form: "<em>Steal the pancakes off your plate and then I'm robbin' you at Denny's / In a Plymouth that is tinted and the sherm has got me spinning / You don't want it with this, put the truck in his ribs / We don't fight fair, f*ck that, we jump and get our licks / Reds and whites flash through the dash, hop the fence / Wake up, smoke a blunt, hit the park and do it again / For my heroes.</em>" Macklemore and Jake Magraw directed the black-and-video that matches the aesthetic of Mack's lyrics. <a href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2014/05/brother-ali-goes-on-the-attack-in-a-freestyle-but-whos-the-target-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brother Ali Goes on the Attack in a Freestyle. But Who’s the Target? (Video)</a> "Heroes" is the first single from <em>Ben</em>, a Macklemore solo LP, that is due March 3. Last year, DJ Premier was at the helm of a <a href="https://hh50.lnk.to/Vol1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Hip Hop 50 </em>EP</a> that featured <a href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2022/07/nas-dj-premier-beat-breaks-song/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nas</a>, <a href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2022/08/remy-ma-rapsody-dj-premier-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Remy Ma & Rapsody</a>, <a href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2022/07/lil-wayne-slick-rick-dj-premier-song/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lil Wayne & Slick Rick</a>, and more. <strong>#BonusBeat:</strong> Catch recent songs featuring DJ Premier on the official <em>Ambrosia For Heads</em> playlist: <iframe style="border-radius: 12px;" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/1Ssx21OFFRNJMMvlG2xeWV?utm_source=generator" width="560" height="380" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> #DmtDaily
Music
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Bandini, Khareem Sudlow
Music
via https://www.DMT.NEWS
Bandini, Khareem Sudlow
