With his new album, Ben, arriving soon, Macklemore is being candid about his recent struggles with relapsing to show how far he’s come now. It’s obvious that he’s in a bright place — and a new wholesome video with his daughter, Sloane Ava Simone, proved that even further.
In the clip, which he shared to Instagram, Macklemore asks his 7 year old to direct one of his music videos. He starts by saying, “I’m a little bit nervous asking this, if I’m being honest. You know how the other day you were doing like the Bogey Boys, like producing?”
He continues: “You knew exactly what you wanted. I was so impressed with your work ethic, with your eye. I love your visual aesthetic. I absolutely love your style. I’ve been trying to think of a music video for ‘No Bad Days.’”
“Crazy idea, and if you don’t like it we don’t have to do it,” he says. “‘No Bad Days’ music video, I need a director.” Finally, he asks: “And I was thinking, what if you directed the music video?” She tears up before he even finishes asking, and they embrace each other in a big hug. She says yes, of course.
Macklemore is set to drop his new album, Ben, next month. Ahead of the album’s impending release, the rapper stopped by The Kelly Clarkson Show, where he opened up about the creation of the deeply personal record.
During his interview, Macklemore revealed that much of Ben is inspired by his relapse, which took place in the summer of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was an intense time. The life that I knew, just like all of our lives, was stripped away. I’m used to a certain schedule of touring, of being gone, of being home, of recovery and being able to go to a physical 12-step meeting,” he said. “That stopped during COVID. Eventually, I’m on Instagram while being on Zoom and I’m just not really paying attention to the meetings. Eventually — and this is what happens when I don’t prioritize my recovery — if I don’t put that first, then I will lose everything that I’m putting in front of it. That’s what happens.”
Today, he has been sober for nearly three years, and while he said that his relapse, which only lasted a few weeks, played a role in the making of this album, he does not want to have to rely on painful or traumatic moments to create his art.
“I think that pain is a catalyst for great art,” he said. “I don’t want to inflict the pain on myself anymore to make art. It’s not like I need to self-sabotage in order to create, but I think that it created some darker, more honest, and vulnerable moments on the album.”
You can check out the interview above.
Ben is out 3/3 via Bendo LLC. You can pre-save it here.
Video network Vevo teamed up with Public Enemy’s Chuck D to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop. There will be programming including “Legends In Concert,” “Hip-Hop International,” “2K Hip-Hop Legends,” and more. The world’s leading video network will also collaborate with a hefty, yet, impressive list of hip-hop artists with appearances throughout 2023 from legends such […]
Several artists have plans for a big comeback in 2023. Among them is Macklemore, whose BEN project is due to drop in early March. This New Music Friday (January 20), the 39-year-old shared the lead single from the forthcoming album, called “HEROES.”
Throughout his verses, the “Thrift Shop” hitmaker pays homage to some of his biggest inspirations. Among them are DJ Quik and N.W.A., the latter of whom Mack allegedly heard for the first time at seven years old.
Macklemore performs onstage during iHeartRadio 103.5 KISS FM’s Jingle Ball 2022 Presented by Capital One at Allstate Arena on December 05, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
“Seven, I heard NWA in the street / From my older neighbour who was playin’ ‘F*ck tha Police,’” he rhymes. “Eleven, writin’ graffiti, fifteen, I’m sellin’ weed / By sixteen, I had an MPC / (It was Hip Hop’s fault) That I wanted to grow up.”
As HipHopDX notes, Jake Magraw directed the song’s accompanying music video, which also features DJ Premier. Though he’s usually known for producing, this time around, the 56-year-old drops some bars on the chorus.
“Pick up the mic, put your money where your mouth is / Doin’ petty crimes, back in the days / Too much OE, tipsy off the whiskey / Pick up the, the, the, the mic, the, the, the mic,” he rhymes over the infectious beat crafted by Joshua “Budo” Karp.
In a previously released trailer for the collaboration, the DJ reveals he was eager to work with Macklemore due to his authenticity. “From the time you came out doing your shit, all the way up to when you got a name that went to the mainstream…you still held on to the integrity of you as an artist,” Premier explained.
“You know, just the recognition you’re also in it for the love of the culture and that shows.”
The last track we heard from Mack saw him collaborating with NLE Choppa on “FAITHFUL.” Before that, he dropped off “Maniac” last summer, much to fan’s pleasure.
Stream Macklemore and DJ Premier’s “HEROES” single on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, tell us who you’d like to see featured on the former’s BEN album in the comments.
Quotable Lyrics:
My heroes didn’t look yours, my heroes didn’t look yours, nah, nah They didn’t work a 9 to 5, they worked a 5 to 4 Wake up at three and recordin’ more See my heroes died of overdoses, rider for the culture Mind type the psychosis, all the lies and show biz
10 years ago, radio stations were always repeating a song with an immediately recognizable intro: “What, what / What, what,” followed by an infectious saxophone melody that led into the song — “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Though Macklemore‘s momentum has obviously slowed since that unimaginable height, he’s back today with the song “Maniac” featuring Windser.
“Maniac” is a surprisingly gentle pop track with wholesome lyrics: “I fell in love with her moonwalk / Dancing in the kitchen in her tube socks,” he raps, his verses cushioned in between Windser’s delicately-sung choruses. The old-timey, green music video adds to the pretty atmosphere of the song, especially with the brief Nardwuar cameo.
Last year, Macklemore opened up about his struggles with addiction. “I didn’t even know it was a disease at the beginning, I went for years like ‘why can I not f*cking stop, why can I not drink and smoke like my friends,” he said. “Why when I wake up is that the first thing I’m thinking about…’ I didn’t know that there was a community that was there to support and love me unconditionally that had the same f*cking disease.”
