As many know I’m not a fan of Pop-esque music. It has to strike me pretty hard to attract my attention in any shape or form; and rarely does it ever. I know I am about 10,000 years late to the party that is Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t 110% intrigued by their latest single, “Downtown.” It’s good; I mean really good.
Not only does it feature some of rap’s greatest MCs, but to boot it brought back to life Eric Nally of Foxy Shazam fame (who I had interviewed years ago for Greenshoelace.com ), which up until recently, I could never understand how they never really caught on. They were successful in indie circles, but even then, they never fully received the attention they deserved. Also I kind of love the fact that most people think Eric is in costume, but really, no, that’s his usual attire (for live shows at least). Remember when he used to eat cigarettes on stage? Yes, that.
Getting back to my main point, I love the fact that Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are being successful on their own terms, and keeping completely true to themselves. It really brings in another level of artist intimacy because there isn’t that label middleman. Everything that they put out is them, whether you like it or not. “Downtown,” is the perfect example of an artist unleashing their heart and soul into the music. Musically and marketing wise it’s genius; and to be honest, one hell of a song.
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