It’s been more than three years since Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released their album “The Heist.” And now, the wait for new music is finally over! Macklemore and Ryan Lewis dropped their second studio album “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made” this past Friday.
When asked about the album, Macklemore stated that “we did the best that we could do. I stand behind the music. I like the music. I enjoy it. I feel like I’m speaking my truth.” The normal edition has 13 tracks, while the deluxe edition comes with two bonus tracks.
The album features songs from a variety of subjects. Some are fun, light-hearted, and upbeat, like “Downtown,” the first single released from this album. Sometimes referred to as “hip-hop’s version of ‘Uptown Funk,'” the music video sums up the song pretty well: a bunch of people having fun and dancing downtown.
However, some of the songs on the album have much more serious themes. For example, the second single that Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released is “White Privilege II,” which is a follow-up to Macklemore’s song “White Privilege” released in 2005. The song discusses issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement, and what it really means to be white and have certain privileges that other races do not have.
“White Privilege II” Causes Lots of Publicity for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
The song has received quite a bit of discussion. According to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, “this song is the outcome of an ongoing dialogue with musicians, activists, and teachers within our community in Seattle and beyond. Their work and engagement was essential to the creative process.” There are many who applaud Macklemore for rapping about important social issues like white privilege, while others say that he is not doing enough, and that by simply releasing a song about it does not have that big of an impact. To learn more about this song, read our original article when this song was first released and visit Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s website about “White Privilege II” to get more involved in the issues discussed in the song.
“This Unruly Mess I’ve Made” is available on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play.
Comment and tweet us @CelebMix to let us know what you think of the album!