It’s hard to believe that 2012 was three years ago already. I was back in high school then, waiting to get out of class and drive around in my friend’s Volkswagen Golf, blasting tracks off of Macklemore’s album "The Heist." You couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing “Thrift Shop,” “Can’t Hold Us," or “Same Love,” but we haven’t heard much from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis since. Macklemore seemed to resurface out of nowhere last summer when he was featured on the song “Arrows” by Fences. The question still remains: what happened to you Macklemore and Ryan Lewis?
About a week ago, Macklemore sat down with a reporter from Complex magazine to speak about his much anticipated new album and his drug relapse. Macklemore has become famous for “preaching” in his lyrics trying to teach his listeners about acceptance, tolerance, and moderation. Macklemore has never tried to hide the fact that he was once a frequent drug user, but constantly warns his listeners that becoming dependent on substances is no way to live.
Macklemore met up with his partner and musical genius Ryan Lewis, made one of the most successful albums of 2012, beat out Kendrick Lamar for the Grammy for Best New Artist, and went on a major world tour. According to the interview with Complex, Macklemore admitted to relapsing during this highly stressful time by taking sleeping pills and smoking weed. Macklemore decided it was time to clean up again when he discovered that his fiancé Tricia Davis is pregnant with their first child. Since then, Macklemore has been attending his 12-step meetings again and is getting on the right track in preparation to become the best father he can be.
In terms of the new music that we all have been waiting for, unfortunately we will have to wait a little bit longer. Fans were delighted when Macklemore responded to a fan on Twitter back in January with a promise that new music would be coming out this year. During his interview, Macklemore said that he and Lewis is about two-thirds done with the album. Hopefully this means that we will be seeing new music in the near future. In terms of the music content in this new album, Lewis told the reporter of Complex that he was experimenting with music from '60s and early '70s groups such as Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. Hopefully more tracks like “Otherside,” where Macklemore raps over the beat to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' song “Otherside,” are on their way.
As a longtime Macklemore and Lewis fan myself, all of this news of a new album and a relapse brought me mixed emotions. I was elated to discover that the album I have been waiting years for is in the works, but also saddened by the fact that Macklemore stumped on his path to sobriety. As I began to read the Complex article, and later a similar article by Rolling Stone magazine, my original feelings of sadness changed rapidly. I began to understand why Macklemore wanted the sleeping pills and weed again. Macklemore and Lewis went from underground artists from Seattle, Washington to international superstars very quickly. While they both worked extremely hard to get there, the fame that they achieved seems to be understandably exhausting. I firmly believe that Macklemore is on the right track as an artist and as a person. He has been seeking and getting help to battle his urges to relapse again, and is looking forward to his future as a top artist and a soon-to-be father. We, your fans, got your back, Mack and we hope to hear from you soon.
