The Heist: Macklemore & Ryan LewisBy: Brandon Huang
Money. Cars. Getting down in da club. All great reasons to write a 21st century rap album. The genre that began with people venting out distaste for problems in society has evolved into an all out bragging competition. This is where Macklemore stands out as a savior to a lost generation. Starting out with only EPs, The Heist is his first full-length album. Instead of promoting a frivolous lifestyle, The Heist preaches being an individual, not being a zombie to corporations, and even equal rights. Lead single Thrift Shop is an upbeat, almost contagiously catchy tune telling everyone they can look fly without taking a second mortgage. Other strong points include Same Love, and Starting Over. As a whole I felt the album was slightly disappointing because there were a few rereleases and the rest sounded like filler songs. Other songs felt monotonous and after lead singles the rest kind of blends together and begins to lack personality. Nevertheless, The Heist is a pretty solid first album and a new beginning in hopefully a long career for Macklemore. |