At this point, most of us have heard Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s hit single, “Thrift Shop”..(if you haven’t, youtube it. Trust me, it’s worth it.) And while this is undeniably the best song on the album, the rest of the tracks deserve some attention. Macklemore might classify himself as a rapper, but the depth of his lyrics hint at spoken word. I might just be anxious for the next poetry slam to poke up its head–Sigma Tau Delta is working on putting together another poetry slam in April–but in the meantime, I’m being sustained by this album.
Five of the tracks on this album are devoted to the main pursuit of the California State Stanislaus student. “10,000 hours”, “Can’t hold us”, “Thin line”, “Make the Money “and “Jimmy Lovine” are all about putting in the time, energy and ambition to accomplish your dream.
When the semesters drag on and graduating seems so far away, “Can’t hold us” , gives me the motivation to suit up and show up.My favorite line from this song reads, “Looking for a better way to get up out of bed, instead of getting on the internet and checking out a new hit … we put our hands up like the ceiling can’t hold us.”
“10,000 Hours” is a direct reference to the book “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell claims that the way to succeed in any endeavor is to put in 10,000 hours of practice. Macklemore reiterates this thought by saying, “I could be who I wanted if I could see my potential, and I know that one day I’m [going to] be him.”
“Thrift Shop” and “Wing$” are my favorite tracks, both are dedicated to explaining the fallacies of hyper consumerism. The former is more fun, and great to dance to, but the latter gives some food for thought. We are not defined by the Nikes we buy anymore than the ancients were magically infused with tiger strength when they ate tiger flesh. By examining the logical pitfalls that we are acculturated into, Macklemore seeks to evolve himself and his listeners.
Overall, definitely an album worth listening to, whether you’re a veteran fan of hip-hop or somebody who’s just been turned on to the poetry that sometimes lurks in the lyrics of the modern day rapper.