Seattle MC'en Macklemore er en af mine favoritrappere pt. Hans debutplade The Language of My World indeholdte uforglemmelige numre som "White Privilege", "I Said Hey" og "As Soon As I Wake Up", og hans 2009 The Unplanned Mixtape bød blandt andet på "The Town", der har en af de flottest filmede musikvideoer jeg har set. Senere i 2009 slog han hovedet sammen med producer-geniet Ryan Lewis og udgav den sublimeThe Vs EP, der var baseret på en idé om at sample relevante rockbands, som fx The Bravery, The Killers, Arcade Fire og Red Hot Chili Peppers. EP'ens "hits" blev "Irish Celebration", der ligeledes har en afsindigt fed video, og "Otherside", der sampler RHCP's sang med samme titel fra Californication.
(Hent The Vs EP HER gratis, og forøg din livsglæde med et par procent!!)
I 2010 udgav Macklemore og Ryan Lewis så en Redux udgave af EP'en, hvor Ryan Lewis, Jake One, P Smoov, Budo og Sabzi remixede EP'ens syv numre, og tildelte dem alle nye, originale produktioner, der på trods af at være bygget op fra scractch, fulgte rock-sample tendensen fra den første EP. Helt ufatteligt er The Vs EP Redux faktisk BEDRE end originalen, og hvordan det er lykkedes især Ryan Lewis at skabe et så brillant lydbillede er over min forstand. Især "Otherside", der var fænomenal på den originale EP, er blevet markant bedre. Dette skyldes ikke kun den gennemført musikalske produktion, men i høj grad også Macklemores udsøgte rap-talent, for her gør han virkelig det han er bedst til; fortæller en dragende historie samtidig med, at han kommenterer på aktuelle tendenser. Lad os tage et lyt, og følg lyrikken nedenfor (det går lidt hurtigt ind imellem!)
Oh girl this boat is sinking, there's no sea left for me
And how the sky gets heavy, when you are underneath it
Oh, I want to sail away from here
And God, he came down, down, down, down, down, down, down
And sowed nothing
"He rolled up, asked him what he was sippin' on /
He said lean, you wanna hit it dawg? /
That's the same stuff Weezy's sippin' huh? /
And tons of other rappers that be spittin' hard /
Yup, yup five a bone /
When he passed him that Styrofoam /
The easter pink, heard it in a rhyme before /
Finally got to see what all the hype was on /
And then he took a sip, sittin' in the lincoln /
Thinkin' he was pimpin' as he listened to the system /
Little did he know that it was just as addictive as base /
Not the kind of hit from the kick drum /
Hot box, let the base bump /
Take it to the face, gulp /
Months later the use went up /
Every blunt was accompanied by the pink stuff /
But goddamn he loved that feelin' /
Purple rain coated in the throat, just so healin' /
Medicine alleviate the sickness /
liquid affix and it comes with a cost /
Wake up, cold sweat, scratchin', itchin' /
Trying to escape the skin that barely fit him /
Gone, got another bottle just to get a couple swallows /
Headed towards the bottom couldn't get off it /
Didn't even think he had a problem /
Though he couldn't sleep without gettin' nauseous /
Room spinnin', thinkin he might of sipped just a little bit too much of that cough syryp /
His eyelids closed shut /
Sat back in the chair clutching that cup /
Girlfriend came and a couple hours later said his name, shook him, but he never got up /
He never got up, he never got up /
We live on the cusp of death, thinkin' that it won't be us /
It won't be us, it won't be us, it won't be us /
Nah, it won't be us"
Oh girl this boat is sinking, there's no sea left for me
And how the sky gets heavy, when you are underneath it Oh, I want to sail away from here
And God came down, down, down, down, down, down, down
And sowed nothing
"He just wanted to act like them /
He just wanted to rap like him /
Us as rappers underestimate the power and the effects that we have on these kids /
Blunt passed, ash in a tin, pack being pushed, harassed by the feds /
The fact of it is most people that rap like this /
Talkin' about some shit they haven't lived /
Surprise, you know the drill /
Trapped in a box to climb records sales /
Follow the formula; violence, drugs and sex sells /
So we try to sound like someone else /
This is not Californication /
There's no way to glorify this pavement /
Syryp, percocet and an eight a day will leave you broke, depressed and emotionally vacant /
Despite how Little Wayne lives /
It's not conducive to being creative /
And I know 'cause he's my favorite /
And I know 'cause I was off that same mix /
Rationalize the shit that I'd try after I listen to dedication /
But he's an alien, I sip that shit pass out or play playstation /
Months later I'm in the same place /
No music made, feelin' like a failure /
And trust me, it's not dope to be 25 and move back to your parents basement /
I've seen my people's dreams die /
I've seen what they can be denied /
And "weeds not a drug" - that's denial
Groundhog Day life repeat each time /
I've seen Oxycontin take three lives /
I grew up with them, we used to chief dimes /
I've seen cocaine bring out the demons inside /
Cheatin' and lyin' /
Friendship cease, no peace in their mind /
Stealin' and taking anything to fix the pieces inside /
Broken, hopeless, headed nowhere /
Only motivation for what the dealer's supplying /
That rush, that drug, that dope /
Those pills, that crumb, that roach /
Thinkin' I would never do that, not that drug /
Growing up, nobody ever does /
Until you're stuck, lookin' in the mirror like I can't believe what I've become /
Swore I was goin' to be someone /
And growing up everyone always does /
We sell our dreams and our potential to escape through that buzz /
Just keep me up, keep me up /
Hollywood here we come"
Oh girl this boat is sinking, there's no sea left for me
And how the sky gets heavy, when you are underneath it
Oh, I want to sail away from here
And God, he came down, down, down, down, down, down, down And sowed nothing
Wow....!
Okay, vi kan vist godt blive enige om, at numre som dette - hvor der bliver advaret imod misbrug og ansvarsløse rollemodeller - er hørt før, mange gange endda, men sjældent har det været lige så skarpt som her. Macklemore's personlige forhold til den så omtalte cough syryp, og hvordan han da bare måtte prøve det, eftersom hans favoritrapper Lil' Wayne som bekendt altid har sin trofaste plastikkop (*styrofoam) i hånden, fyldt med cough syryp (*lean, easter pink, pu
rple rain, purple drank), for kun at ende i et kulsort hul, giver sangen flere relaterbare dimensioner. Jeg har ikke selv prøvet det (min opfattelse er, at det stadig kun er noget der er "cool" at drikke i USA), men jeg tror ikke jeg var klar over, at drinken var så farlig, før jeg hørte dette nummer. En hurtig gennemlæsning af drinkens Wiki-side afslører blandt andet, at DJ Screw, der oprindeligt populariserede fænomenet, døde af at drikke det. Big Moe led samme skæbne, hvilket man måske kunne have forventet med albumtitler som City of Syryp og Purple World. Den bredt anerkendte UGK rapper Pimp C døde ligeledes af for stort indtag af cough syryp.
Det som jeg finder absurd ved det hele er, at selvom der er så markante beviser for, at indtagelse af cough syryp kan have fatale følger, så går "verdens bedste rapper" Lil' Wayne, der sælger millioner og atter millioner af plader, og som har unge fans verden over, stadig rundt med hans elskede drink og glorificerer væsken gang på gang. Der er da ikke noget at sige til, at der er så mange, der falder i fælden, når deres idol er en omvandrende reklame for drinken, som jeg umiddelbart synes man burde kategorisere som et 'drug'. Normalt er jeg egentlig lidt ligeglad med, hvad de forskellige rappere går rundt og indtager. Jeg tør godt antage, at jeg er klog nok til at vide, hvad der er i orden at prøve, hvordan det skal prøves og hvad man skal holde sig fra, men det er der virkelig mange "derude" i den store vide verden der ikke gør, og Macklemore fik mig til at indse, at det Lil' Wayne har gang i her er yderst uansvarligt, og "Otherside" som overordnet kommentar på hele denne ærgelige tendens har virkelig sin berettigelse.
Hvad er der ellers at sige om nummeret? - Ud over Macklemores fænomenale fortælleevne, indlevelse og overlegne flow, må man virkelig sige, at Ryan Lewis har skræddersyet den perfekte produktion til nummeret. De to guitarer passer perfekt sammen og skaber en helt utrolig lyd, og med det spinkle klaver, de store trommer, strygerne og koret, der tager til hen imod slutningen, har nummeret en unik form for sørgmodig storhed over sig. Fences, der synger omkvædet, får det nærmest til at lyde som om at alt håb er ude, og får derved understreget budskabets alvor. Der er ikke så meget andet at sige, end at det her er et sublimt track. Fandens velspillet musik med noget på hjerte. Jeg tror ikke der er den store idé i at "holde øje" med Macklemore og Ryan Lewis, for inden så længe vil de være fuldstændig umulige at overse.
- Jeppe Barslund
Oh girl this boat is sinking, there's no sea left for me
And how the sky gets heavy, when you are underneath it
Oh, I want to sail away from here
And God, he came down, down, down, down, down, down, down
And sowed nothing
"He rolled up, asked him what he was sippin' on /
He said lean, you wanna hit it dawg? /
That's the same stuff Weezy's sippin' huh? /
And tons of other rappers that be spittin' hard /
Yup, yup five a bone /
When he passed him that Styrofoam /
The easter pink, heard it in a rhyme before /
Finally got to see what all the hype was on /
And then he took a sip, sittin' in the lincoln /
Thinkin' he was pimpin' as he listened to the system /
Little did he know that it was just as addictive as base /
Not the kind of hit from the kick drum /
Hot box, let the base bump /
Take it to the face, gulp /
Months later the use went up /
Every blunt was accompanied by the pink stuff /
But goddamn he loved that feelin' /
Purple rain coated in the throat, just so healin' /
Medicine alleviate the sickness /
liquid affix and it comes with a cost /
Wake up, cold sweat, scratchin', itchin' /
Trying to escape the skin that barely fit him /
Gone, got another bottle just to get a couple swallows /
Headed towards the bottom couldn't get off it /
Didn't even think he had a problem /
Though he couldn't sleep without gettin' nauseous /
Room spinnin', thinkin he might of sipped just a little bit too much of that cough syryp /
His eyelids closed shut /
Sat back in the chair clutching that cup /
Girlfriend came and a couple hours later said his name, shook him, but he never got up /
He never got up, he never got up /
We live on the cusp of death, thinkin' that it won't be us /
It won't be us, it won't be us, it won't be us /
Nah, it won't be us"
Oh girl this boat is sinking, there's no sea left for me
And how the sky gets heavy, when you are underneath it Oh, I want to sail away from here
And God came down, down, down, down, down, down, down
And sowed nothing
"He just wanted to act like them /
He just wanted to rap like him /
Us as rappers underestimate the power and the effects that we have on these kids /
Blunt passed, ash in a tin, pack being pushed, harassed by the feds /
The fact of it is most people that rap like this /
Talkin' about some shit they haven't lived /
Surprise, you know the drill /
Trapped in a box to climb records sales /
Follow the formula; violence, drugs and sex sells /
So we try to sound like someone else /
This is not Californication /
There's no way to glorify this pavement /
Syryp, percocet and an eight a day will leave you broke, depressed and emotionally vacant /
Despite how Little Wayne lives /
It's not conducive to being creative /
And I know 'cause he's my favorite /
And I know 'cause I was off that same mix /
Rationalize the shit that I'd try after I listen to dedication /
But he's an alien, I sip that shit pass out or play playstation /
Months later I'm in the same place /
No music made, feelin' like a failure /
And trust me, it's not dope to be 25 and move back to your parents basement /
I've seen my people's dreams die /
I've seen what they can be denied /
And "weeds not a drug" - that's denial
Groundhog Day life repeat each time /
I've seen Oxycontin take three lives /
I grew up with them, we used to chief dimes /
I've seen cocaine bring out the demons inside /
Cheatin' and lyin' /
Friendship cease, no peace in their mind /
Stealin' and taking anything to fix the pieces inside /
Broken, hopeless, headed nowhere /
Only motivation for what the dealer's supplying /
That rush, that drug, that dope /
Those pills, that crumb, that roach /
Thinkin' I would never do that, not that drug /
Growing up, nobody ever does /
Until you're stuck, lookin' in the mirror like I can't believe what I've become /
Swore I was goin' to be someone /
And growing up everyone always does /
We sell our dreams and our potential to escape through that buzz /
Just keep me up, keep me up /
Hollywood here we come"
Oh girl this boat is sinking, there's no sea left for me
And how the sky gets heavy, when you are underneath it
Oh, I want to sail away from here
And God, he came down, down, down, down, down, down, down And sowed nothing
Wow....!
Okay, vi kan vist godt blive enige om, at numre som dette - hvor der bliver advaret imod misbrug og ansvarsløse rollemodeller - er hørt før, mange gange endda, men sjældent har det været lige så skarpt som her. Macklemore's personlige forhold til den så omtalte cough syryp, og hvordan han da bare måtte prøve det, eftersom hans favoritrapper Lil' Wayne som bekendt altid har sin trofaste plastikkop (*styrofoam) i hånden, fyldt med cough syryp (*lean, easter pink, pu
rple rain, purple drank), for kun at ende i et kulsort hul, giver sangen flere relaterbare dimensioner. Jeg har ikke selv prøvet det (min opfattelse er, at det stadig kun er noget der er "cool" at drikke i USA), men jeg tror ikke jeg var klar over, at drinken var så farlig, før jeg hørte dette nummer. En hurtig gennemlæsning af drinkens Wiki-side afslører blandt andet, at DJ Screw, der oprindeligt populariserede fænomenet, døde af at drikke det. Big Moe led samme skæbne, hvilket man måske kunne have forventet med albumtitler som City of Syryp og Purple World. Den bredt anerkendte UGK rapper Pimp C døde ligeledes af for stort indtag af cough syryp.Det som jeg finder absurd ved det hele er, at selvom der er så markante beviser for, at indtagelse af cough syryp kan have fatale følger, så går "verdens bedste rapper" Lil' Wayne, der sælger millioner og atter millioner af plader, og som har unge fans verden over, stadig rundt med hans elskede drink og glorificerer væsken gang på gang. Der er da ikke noget at sige til, at der er så mange, der falder i fælden, når deres idol er en omvandrende reklame for drinken, som jeg umiddelbart synes man burde kategorisere som et 'drug'. Normalt er jeg egentlig lidt ligeglad med, hvad de forskellige rappere går rundt og indtager. Jeg tør godt antage, at jeg er klog nok til at vide, hvad der er i orden at prøve, hvordan det skal prøves og hvad man skal holde sig fra, men det er der virkelig mange "derude" i den store vide verden der ikke gør, og Macklemore fik mig til at indse, at det Lil' Wayne har gang i her er yderst uansvarligt, og "Otherside" som overordnet kommentar på hele denne ærgelige tendens har virkelig sin berettigelse.
Hvad er der ellers at sige om nummeret? - Ud over Macklemores fænomenale fortælleevne, indlevelse og overlegne flow, må man virkelig sige, at Ryan Lewis har skræddersyet den perfekte produktion til nummeret. De to guitarer passer perfekt sammen og skaber en helt utrolig lyd, og med det spinkle klaver, de store trommer, strygerne og koret, der tager til hen imod slutningen, har nummeret en unik form for sørgmodig storhed over sig. Fences, der synger omkvædet, får det nærmest til at lyde som om at alt håb er ude, og får derved understreget budskabets alvor. Der er ikke så meget andet at sige, end at det her er et sublimt track. Fandens velspillet musik med noget på hjerte. Jeg tror ikke der er den store idé i at "holde øje" med Macklemore og Ryan Lewis, for inden så længe vil de være fuldstændig umulige at overse.
- Jeppe Barslund
6 kommentarer:
Nu skal jeg selvfølgelig ikke glorificere Lil Wayne og hans opførsel, men manden har rent faktisk lagt det på hylden efter turen i kachotten. Og nu hvor vi snakker om stoffer i hiphop, hvad så med "that green" og det gode gamle hvide puvler. Problemet ligger lidt i at det jo ikke kun er Lil Wayne der en omvandrende junkie "over there". Næsten alle store rappere, som også hitter i radionen, puffer jo rundt med et eller andet stof.
Præcis. Det er også derfor jeg synes det er fedt, at Macklemore retter sangen imod ham specifikt. Flere burde gøre det.
Og det er jo ikke kun stoffer. T.I. bliver stoppet i sin bil med et tons ulovlige våben, heller ikke et heldigt budskab at sende.
Jeg vidste faktisk ikke at han havde quittet drinken. Han har sikkert fået at vide, at han måtte lægge det på hylden hvis hun ville se hans 30. år
Ryan Lewis er vanvittig.
Elsker også den nye 'Wings' fra deres kommende album. Store øjeblikke!
Ja fuldstændig!! Jeg regner også med at lave et track review af "Wings" snart - blændende track!
Amazing, so amazing, dadada. ;-)
kom lige til at kigge på VS Redux på iTunes da jeg overvejede at købe det. Lagde mærke til at der ikke er noget remix af Life Is Cinema, hvilket er et blændende track i sig selv! nogen der ved hvorfor??
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