[Album Review] Macklemore as a Role Model in New Album

By Austin T. Murphy

Just last month, celebrated rapper Ben Haggerty -- better known by his stage name Macklemore -- released his second studio album featuring producer Ryan Lewis, This Unruly Mess I’ve Made.

Although he is most widely known due to the success of his 2013 hit “Thrift Shop,” Macklemore’s sophomore effort reveals the “man behind the curtain.” Themes of the new album range from typical hip-hop staples like drugs, alcohol, and partying to universal issues of mortality, self-reflection, and responsibility.

The album begins with “The Light Tunnel,” a song that is pretty straightforward in its relevance to death and mortality. The rapper is either dealing with a personal loss, or he is contemplating his own mortality via suicide or a natural death.

As the album progresses, we are constantly tossed back and forth between the present and the past. Songs like “Downtown,” “Brad Pitt’s Cousin,” and “Dance Off” represent the big-city lifestyle that famous artists are expected to live. Furthermore, these tracks make an unexpected link the Disney’s “Pinocchio,” as the new-kid-on-the-block is lured in the wrong direction by external influences.

Alternatively, we are witnesses to the growth of the artist in songs like “Growing Up,” “Kevin,” and “Bolo Tie.” In these tracks, he is accepting the responsibility of managing his own life -- in addition to others -- and he is reflecting on past decisions and obstacles while he balances the time he gives to others with the need to be alone at times.

Other notable tracks on the album reference vices like the “Seven Deadly Sins” and the stages of grief. “Let’s Eat” quite obviously references gluttony and greed, and “The Train” represents the character’s final acceptance of responsibility and fate.

All of the first twelve songs serve as a build-up for the final act, however, as the closing track “White Privilege II” talks about Macklemore’s role in current racial arguments. As a white rapper, he finds himself influenced by both white and black voices -- especially because he is making a living with what is considered to be a “black” art form.

There is no denying that this final track is what has primarily contributed to the album’s public appraisal being split nearly 50/50. Given his maturity in addressing such a controversial issue, there is no denying that This Unruly Mess I’ve Made is one of the best early albums of 2016.

It is difficult for any artist to express an original idea without being roasted in the public eye simply because of the divisiveness of today’s culture. There are arguments to be made for and against practically anything, making the middle ground a warzone for anyone brave enough to step into “No Man’s Land.”

Even though rap still carries a relatively negative connotation in some circles today, Macklemore has proven with his new album that there are still role models making popular music with worldly, positive messages. And there is no denying that he is one of them.