Here we go again, with another album review. This time it's Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with The Heist. I must admit, I had no idea what to expect from this album. I first heard Thrift Shop, like everyone of course, and I wanted to know more of who the duo of Ryan Lewis and the man known as Macklemore was. I didn't know what to expect when I bought this album. I didn't even know what to think of Thrift Shop! But now that I have given the album a fair listen multiple times, I believe I can at least give my thoughts. What did I think of The Heist? Did The Heist present itself as a worthwhile collection of music, does Macklemore & Ryan Lewis identify themselves as intelligent and quality musicians, or does the album live up to its name and rob me? Let's take a look at each song one by one to find out.
Track 1: Ten Thousand Hours
Now, you already probably know how I believe an album should start. The question is, is Ten Thousand Hours a worthy opener for an album of 15 songs? Short answer: pretty much. Long answer: Ten Thousand Hours is a pretty good song. In fact, it does a really good job setting up the rest of the album. Even Macklemore says "Welcome to the Heist" several times at the end. It's nice to know when artists tell you what you're getting into before you get into it. Plus, this song is sort've a summary of the album. Good line after good line with Macklemore rapping about his past with alcoholism and trying hard to get noticed for following his dreams; it's a great start.
Track 2: Can't Hold Us featuring Ray Dalton
Can't Hold Us starts with a bang as Macklemore just busts out rapping at a rather fast pace. Spilling out his thoughts to rouse the crowd to join him, Macklemore does just that. Coupled with blaring trumpets and what I take for war cries, Can't Hold Us is a fantastic pump-up song. Honestly, if Can't Hold Us was the beginning of this album, then I wouldn't complain one bit. Macklemore wants you to join him as you raise your hands like the ceiling can't hold any of you, and for me he does just that. Call this the we are the champions of The Heist, or whatever gets you pumped up for some action. The guest verse here is Ray Dalton, who is excellent in singing the chorus. Can't Hold Us sets the album up just like Ten Thousand Hours and it's nice to put them both at the beginning.
Track 3: Thrift Shop featuring Wanz
Everyone knows this song and for good reason, it's awesome. Look, there are so many things I can say about this song that I can't even begin for this album review. With the huge popularity of Thrift Shop, I feel it to be more appropriate to talk about the rest of the album more in-depth. Bottom line is, a rap song that's on an independent label about spending as little money as possible becoming the number one song of the nation is mind-boggling. If anything, this restores my faith in humanity as a whole for us to finally realize that the quagmire of raps that are bout nothing but being rich are old and tired and it's time for something new. I will probably talk about Thrift Shop more in-depth later, but I love Thrift Shop, and expect it to be really high on the best list of the year.
Track 4: Thin Line featuring Buffalo Madonna
This is how you do a break-up song. Or is it a love song? Is Thin Line a combination of both? A story about an on-again off-again relationship? I don't know, but I sure like it. Perhaps Thin Line is more of a story of a relationship between two people. Not just when they're in a relationship, but more of the intricacies of the two's interaction as a whole. The more I think of Thin Line, the more confused I become. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because I like thinking, and I'm glad that there are rappers out there like Macklemore who are intelligent and thought-provoking enough to stir my mind on what seems like a simple love song.
Track 5: Same Love featuring Mary Lambert
Let me get this straight. Equal rights for all is something that America hasn't realized yet, and it's up to American citizens, like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, to set people straight. However, honestly, where equality for all is great, I don't think it leads into songwriting well. Similar to the "I'm not going to change who I am, I was born like this, I'm beautiful in my own way" style of music, it just kind've bores me. Not that I don't agree with what people are saying, that's not what I'm trying get to, but what I do mean is that generally music like this is slow, boring, and filled with nothing but soft piano chords to drag the song out even more. I've probably heard exactly what the artist is trying to tell me from 10 other songs. Look, I get it, but if you're going to support equality with your music, then make it interesting. Make the song good. Here's where Same Love comes in. Honestly, how many times in rap does a rapper make a song about hating his own genre for being hateful to people for just being who they are? Way too often. Here, Macklemore tries to set everyone straight by making equal rights for all music but still making the music interesting. Does he succeed? Well I think it works out fairly well. Paired with the beautiful vocals of Mary Lambert, Macklemore explains straightforward how much homophobia exists out in the world and how it's destroying equal rights. He makes some really good cases, that I'm sure perhaps even homophobes could take a second to think about their opinions. All in all, good song.
Track 6: Make the Money
"Make the money, don't let the money make you." Words to live by as stated by Macklemore. Don't let all of the excess of material wealth interrupt your own life. Just because you're getting rich, doesn't mean you should be frivolous. Make the Money doesn't leave as much as an impression as some of the other tracks on this album, but it's not bad.
Track 7: Neon Cathedral featuring Allen Stone
One of a few songs on the album that are about Macklemore's struggle with alcohol. Macklemore was once an alcoholic in his life and this has thus impacted his music greatly. Neon Cathedral refers to how he spent more time saving himself at the bar than anywhere else. Instead of feeling forgiveness in church, he felt forgiveness for himself and his actions at the bar. His life was a slave to the bottle, and in Neon Cathedral he raps about how alcoholism consumed his life and was more important to him than anything else. Neon Cathedral is a pretty deep track and is not the only song on the album that deals with his struggle of alcoholism.
Track 8: BomBom featuring The Teaching
How often is it that a rap album has an instrumental? Not too often as far as I know. I love instrumentals, and not that I don't like hearing Macklemore, but this song fits so well. Letting the music itself carry emotions and feelings is something that I love. Ryan Lewis is the producer, recorder, and engineer of the duo, and it's clear to see his work on this song in particular. BomBom is a piano playing while being mixed with other Hip Hop elements. Changing tunes and even styles, big beats and satisfying pay off, BomBom is a rarity that is definitely one of my favorites from the album.
Track 9: White Walls featuring ScHoolBoy Q & Hollis
One of the many subjects that Macklemore raps about in The Heist is how many themes there are in the rap scene that have been done to death and have become clichés. White Walls presents one of the most overdone clichés and brings new life. This cliché is having a nice lookin' car and driving around with some attractive women like you're the coolest person in the world. White Walls is more about why life, like I just mentioned, isn't as glamorous as it seems. He's living the life that is all hyped up to be, but is feeling rather shallow because of it, and all the dangerous "activities" that he partakes in aren't as glamorous as they seem. That's just what I get from this song.
Track 10: Jimmy Iovine featuring Ab-Soul
Jimmy Iovine begins with a whole bunch of personal events that happened in Macklemore's life, and this theme continues throughout the rest of the song. Jimmy Iovine is more about Macklemore & Ryan Lewis not singing with any major label. How he realized that with singing on a major label, he wouldn't achieve any of his life-long goals, and would become a pawn of the company that he signs with. So, in the end, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis started their own independent record label. One of the more personal and story-telling songs on the album.
Track 11: Wing$
I like to think that Wing$ is a more personal and somewhat angrier version of Thrift Shop. Wing$ provides a pretty bold fashion statement. What you wear is who you are, and don't let anyone take the privilege of who you are away from you. Macklemore's references to being young and his pair of shoes was the world to him. He didn't have much, but his pair of shoes was his identity, and they made him (metaphorically mind you, I don't actually think that Macklemore is really Hermes) fly. A really good and meaningful song.
Track 12: A Wake featuring Evan Roman
Right off the starting gun, I can relate to what Macklemore's saying here. I can think of a few people who definitely don't act their age. This describes the rest of the song, which is a recap of how we live today, and what Macklemore has to offer. He explains that he's not going to rap about money, cars, women, and other subjects overdone today in the rap scene. A Wake is more of a critique of everything rather than just our culture or even rap music. It's such a poignant song that I'm sure that everyone can relate to.
Track 13: Gold featuring Eighty4 Fly
I'm actually not much into this song. I can't tell if it's like White Walls where it's realizing that living the ideal life isn't exactly the "ideal life". Or, perhaps Gold is about how everything is sacred and gold, which immediately brings to mind Miracles by ICP... I'll let that speak for itself. Rather uninteresting and just downright mediocre when compared to the rest of the album, I'd suggest skipping this track.
Track 14: Starting Over featuring Ben Bridwell
Starting Over is obviously a song about starting over. Remember Neon Cathedral and how it's a song about Macklemore's dependency on alcohol? Well Starting Over is about Macklemore when he relapsed. How he had to face the shock of his friends and family when he had to tell them what happened. Plus it becomes even more emotional when he talks about a story of when a fan whom thanked Macklemore for giving her inspiration for getting sober. This song is pretty emotional and I can even relate to it, despite never going through alcoholism.
Track 15: Cowboy Boots
Combining country and Irish drinking songs into a rap song? Yeah, it's interesting. I actually really like this song, and as an album closer, it's fitting. Is it about Macklemore's dependence on alcohol, or maybe about Ryan Lewis' favorite type of ceiling fan? I don't know, but it's all in all, a fitting album closer. Brings the whole story, if you want to call it that, of The Heist to a close. You look back on your past and what you long for, which makes you think of the album even. I like it when albums end like this, and thus brings me to my final thoughts on the album.
To quote Thrift Shop "This is ******* awesome!" That's what I think of the whole album. That's perhaps what many people think, as The Heist has sold several hundred thousand copies since its release, and for good reason. This album has entered into what is perhaps a new age of rappers. We are seeing more intelligent rappers making more intelligent raps that are becoming mainstream. Thrift Shop is the first rap song to reach number 1 to be signed on an independent label, and this amazes me. Plus, with more Macklemore & Ryan Lewis songs becoming more and more popular, I am seeing a bright future for rap music. Artists like Lupe Fiasco, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar, B. o. B. and many others are becoming mainstream and people are taking notice.
Verdict: The Heist does not rob you of anything, and I am proud to have bought and supported such a great album. One of the best recent albums I've listened to, and I am extremely proud to give this album such a high rating. The Heist provides something for all fans of rap and hip hop, and if you haven't bought it yet, then what are you waiting for? Final Score: 9/10
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