As most people have already seen, Macklemore recently released the official music video for his new hit “Drug Dealer.” In this video, Macklemore shows everyone what the reality of facing addiction is like. He puts the details of the ugly truth of addiction out on the line and doesn’t hold back. I’ve never been a user, but I’ve known and been close to people in my life who have used and become addicted. I had never fully understood what being an addict was like, but this video made my heart ache for everyone who gets caught up in addiction. It's heart-wrenching when you see the reality of what these people go through. I’m not a huge fan of rap, but I think that this music video is one that truly tells a story worth hearing and needs to be seen by everyone whether you are a user or not because it’s never a bad thing to have some insight on a situation that is so relevant in today’s world and to try to understand someone else’s story.
Before the release of the song and video, Macklemore started his campaign against addiction by telling his story for mtvU’s “Half of US” campaign. He shares the story of how addiction almost ruined his music career and the very life that he had planned and built for himself. Macklemore began drinking at the age of 13 by himself. He would get into his parent’s liquor cabinet and just start taking shots. He described it as a behavior he couldn’t stop because he liked the way it felt and just had to keep going. The drinking led to his first year of high school where he’d skip class to smoke weed. During this year, Macklemore began to really struggle with his music. When he was under the influence, he wasn’t capable of producing anything because his mind was always just blank. He used his passion for music to sober up for about a month at a time before he’d fall right back into his addictions. He would make as much music as he could during his short periods of sobriety and before he knew it, he was back to doing the very things that were destroying him and everyone around him. He had gotten into more intense drugs as time went on, such as synthetic heroin, and by the age of 25 his father had finally confronted him and asked him to go to rehab. He described his actions as “the complete discarding of someone else’s emotions and well-being for your own selfish needs in that moment,” and took his father's advice and attended rehab. He now gives the credit of him being alive today to the rehab center.
The courage that it took for Macklemore to use his fame to address an issue so large so seriously is amazing. As I said, I’ve never been a huge rap fan, but this effort to raise awareness for what drugs really do to people has earned my respect and full support. Macklemore’s ability to share his story to help others is truly inspirational and deserves so much recognition. If you get the chance, check out the video and share it with everyone you know because it has the potential to open the eyes of so many and change lives.
