Kyle Loomis is a journalism senior and Mustang Daily music columnist.
Those of you who stay up-to-date with the hip-hop community may have been eagerly anticipating the Oct. 9 release of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ debut studio album, “The Heist” (2012).
Judging from the commotion caused by its release, including reaching No. 1 on iTunes within hours of its release, I have to say I’m surprised they weren’t on my radar until recently.
I remember hip-hop music as repetitive, shallow and generally unbearable to listen to — something we were fed at high school dances. I associated hip-hop with Lil Jon’s “Get Low,” 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” or Terror Squad’s “Lean Back.” I feared the innovative, authentic, organic rap music that 2pac, Dr. Dre, Notorious B.I.G. and N.W.A. produced in the ’90s was forgotten, only to be permanently replaced by the “bitches ‘n’ hoes” nonsense that was offered in the following decade.
You may be dismissing my assessment of hip-hop history. If you couldn’t tell, I’m not a huge fan of the genre. I was just another teenager who watched MTV in 2008, wondering how rap music became popular in the first place. Kudos to those of you who survived in the hip-hop underground for all those years.
Though I was completely convinced that hip-hop’s golden years had come and long gone, I downloaded “The Heist,” doubtful that two white guys from Seattle, Wash. were going to change my mind.
Hold the presses … danceable beats, catchy hooks, clever rhyming schemes, profound subject matter and independently produced? Touché, hip-hop.
Quite frankly, it’s hard to find any flaws in the album. Lewis, with some exceptional production, provides the album’s foundation with an eclectic mix of instrumentals and consistently engaging percussion and bass. Macklemore’s lyrics add that extra flavor to the music that has always been so critical to the genre — the same aspect of hip-hop I missed so much.
Make no mistake, lyrical content is the most important facet of hip-hop. It’s what sets it apart from everything else. It’s musical poetry. It tells stories about struggle, race, love, hate, violence or politics. This is what rap has been lacking lately, and what Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have brought back to a dying genre.
Take the popular single “Same Love,” for example, where Macklemore discusses homosexuality, a taboo topic in hip-hop.
“‘Man that’s gay’ gets dropped on the daily/We’ve become so numb to what we’re sayin’/Our culture founded from oppression/Yeah, we don’t have acceptance for ‘em … And a certificate on paper/Isn’t gonna solve it all/But it’s a damn good place to start.”
Here, Macklemore not only explores the insensitive use of the word “gay” as a synonym for “bad,” but goes so far as to publicly support marriage equality.
True, he isn’t the first rapper to get political, but this kind of content is definitely more appealing to the masses than the garbage spewing out of many other rappers, like something you’d find in 50 Cent’s “I Get the Money,” such as, “I’m stanky rich, I’ma die tryna spend this shit/Southside’s up in this bitch/Yeah, I smell like the vault, I used to sell dope/I did play the block, now I play on boats.”
Really 50 Cent? How many people do you expect to relate to that?
Appropriately, Macklemore’s track “Make the Money” says, “Make the money, don’t let the money make you.”
It comes down to us, the listeners. Do we want to hear the G-Unit crew talk about a “fantasy” lifestyle revolving around sex, drugs and violence, or something more self-reflective, such as the lifelong struggle with alcoholism?
As long as music consumers reward artists like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and ignore the filth released by “pop” rappers such as Flo Rida, 2 Chainz and Nicki Minaj, hip-hop can continue along this path to improvement that was paved by “The Heist.”
I do agree with you that the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s debut album is an amazing album, but your entire argument against hip-hop is one huge oversimplification based on hasty generalizations. You are basing your argument off of the few hip-hop songs that were somewhat popular at a certain time rather than looking at hip-hop as a whole as well as in the past. Did you forget the hip-hop song, “Where is the Love?” which was sung by dozens of hip-hop artists singing about how the world needs to stop and think about their actions? Yes, 50 cent was actually featured in this song as well. I find your reference of 50 cent as a representation of all hip-hop and comparing him to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis to be somewhat a false analogy. These are two different artists that are on different spectrums of the hip-hop scale and therefore there is little reasoning to actually compare the two. You also use the straw man fallacy as well while mentioning how 50 cent represents hip-hop because you’re making your argument a diversionary tactic that can easily be rejected. Not all rappers or hip-hop artists want to get across the message that violence or drugs are okay. Also, you assume that 50 cent wants to relate to his audience, but this may not always be true. Some artists don’t always try to relate with their audience, but try to express themselves in different ways.
Smith,
Let me start with saying that you bring up some very valid points about my perception of hip hop and you are also smart to identify the straw man fallacy.
When I wrote this, I was very aware that I was oversimplifying the genre into what I described as “bitches ‘n’ hoes nonsense.” However, I also knew that by explaining my biased point of view, you and other readers will get a sense of where I am coming from as a fan of music. This way, readers like you, Smith, who know hip hop better than I do, can understand that you know the genre better and thus take my opinion “with a grain of salt” as the cliche goes. This column is an opinion piece, and I was never trying to discredit hip hop in an objective sense. People like Green (who commented below), who, like me, don’t listen to hip hop regularly, can identify with me and listen to the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis album, and maybe even like it and start listening to rap more often.
I am glad that you wrote a reply to my column here because (a) I know that someone out there is reading it, and (b) that my readers have strong enough opinions to dispute my assessment with your own argument that is supported with evidence (I totally forgot about “Where is the Love,” a good song from that same era. Doh!). Thank you for reading and for your intelligent response.
Cheers.
Kyle Loomis
Personally, I do not like hip-hop but after reading the positive things you said about the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s album, I will give it a try and download it.
Thanks.
Green
I know you explain that don’t know hip-hop, but I really have to reiterate that you don’t know what you’re talking about. While Macklemore’s songs touch on topics that a lot of mainstream hip-hop has shied from as of late, talking about sensitive topics does not make you a good rapper. What makes you a good rapper is lyrical integrity-and lacklemore leaves much to be desired. His lyrics are all straightforward phrases or sentences without an ounce of poetic effort. The sentences he chooses are bare minimum descriptions. Simple lyrics are only considered acceptable on hip-hop tracks recorded in the early to mid 80’s when the genre was in its infancy, or by rappers who are just in it for the ratings and money and make no attempt of hiding that fact. Macklemore encompasses neither of these categories; he appears to be attempting art. However since he did not come up with the beats and music (credit to Ryan Lewis), his sole responsibility as an artist is to write. In rap, after an artist has found their voice and sense of delivery, there is not much variation that can truly be accomplished in the way that is possible in singing. Therefore the sole artistic statement that Macklemore is responsible for is the lyrics of the songs. The bar for quality and true artistry is set that much higher because of this singular vehicle of expression. But having a good or “unconventional” message in a rap song is not enough. Your job is not done. A truly good hip-hop artist inflects imagery, double entendre, witticisms, rhyme scheme, and other poetic devices. What makes an artist is the ability to do something most of us could not dream of accomplishing. That is why Eminem, Nas, Dr. Dre, Tupac, Mos Def, Rakim, Biggie, Lil Wayne, Wu Tang, and others are so revered- they are poets. Macklemore tries to make art, do not get me wrong. But in a world with 7 billion people or even on a smaller scale, a nation with 300 million people, trying is not good enough for art. There is only do, and unfortunately, Macklemore accomplishes the wrong kind of doo.
Holier than thou,
You make some great points. My overall impression of your response is a simple one: you have higher standards for what constitutes “good” rap.
You were smart enough to pick up on my disclaimer: that I don’t know hip hop and don’t typically listen to it. However, to say that “I don’t know what I’m talking about” is a bit harsh. Analyzing music is subjective by nature, and if someone says that a song is good or bad because of x, y, and z, then it’s not anyone’s place to call their opinion into question. If one person finds artistic integrity in John Cage’s 4’33” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4′33″), there’s no way to constructively discredit his assessment, the only logical response is to disagree and be on your merry way. So please don’t be rude by insulting my intelligence. Just recognize that you’re more of an authority on hip hop, and maybe next year you can be the MD music columnist.
To get back to Macklemore:
You said that his lyrics are “straightforward phrases or sentences” and “bare minimum descriptions.” That’s true. I respect your opinion that it takes more than ordinary “conscious” lyrical content to make the music “good,” but I disagree. I enjoy his simplicity, just like I enjoy reading the simplistic prose of Hemingway and Steinbeck. It’s kind of like a “less is more” type of thing, but that’s just my view.
Truly, those rappers you mentioned towards the end of your response are great poets, and we both agree that Macklemore is not on that level. However, I stand by my assessment that bringing conscious rap back into the mainstream is a step in the right direction for the genre.
Thanks for reading, and thank you for this response. I like debating about music, and I have learned much from active readers such as yourself, who care enough to put your opinions out there for people to see.
Cheers.
Kyle Loomis