Macklemore takes us back in a hip-hop time capsule on his latest offering “Heroes” featuring the legendary DJ Premier.
“Heroes” will likely satisfy long-time Macklemore fans. Like the real long-time fans. Many familiar with Mack as of the last decade of global success may think of the artist as more of a “pop rapper” instead of simply a “hip-hop artist.”
Going Back To His Roots
Those that grew up in The Town, know that in the early 2000s Macklemore and camp were rocking shows and peddling discs in the streets chock-full of classic hip-hop vibes. The Language Of My World, which really put Mack on the map locally, was a beautiful embodiment of raw hip-hop. Sprinkled amongst the track list were a few “funny” records that wide audiences seemed to love.
While I was never a fan of those records, Macklemore alongside Ryan Lewis was able to pinpoint a sound that was sonically deep and emotional while combining Mack’s self-reflecting pen game and that occasional humor. The global rise started when that complete sandwich was wrapped in a pop-friendly bow. Then boom, you have arguably one of the biggest hip-hop acts to come out of the Pacific Northwest.
Since the Ryan Lewis split, I anticipated we’d catch some records that went back to the roots, and “Heroes” does just that. While one may think Premo put this beat together on his MPC 60, long-time Macklemore collaborator Budo is to be credited for the boom-bap soundscape. That same collaborator who was featured so heavily on Language Of My World brings it back to those record sampling roots sonically. DJ Premier takes full advantage of the dusty chops, kicks, and snares to bring forth that classic Premo scratch hook.
There has been a mixture of criticism for “Heroes” online in the local community since its release, as there is with anything on the internet and anyone in a position that others lust for. For an old head like me, I really enjoyed this song. It immediately made me put on some Language Of My World cuts. I hope we get some more hip-hop out of Mack on his upcoming album, Ben.
Macklemore “Heroes” Featuring DJ Premier
Listen On Spotify
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