Macklemore's Heist to Claim the World

I have been to very few concerts in my lifetime. When I was younger, I went with my mother to jam out with Kool and the Gang at a public concert they held somewhere in Texas. When I was in the sixth grade, my school surprised me by taking me out to see Lil' Romeo perform (I was a Lil' Bow Wow fan, but a cute guy is a cute guy). Boyz II Men even came to my college campus my freshman year to take us back and kick off their 2011 reunion tour.

All of these were fun concerts to go to, but I don't consider any of them my 'legitimate' first concert because I didn't pay for a ticket out of my own hard-owned cash. The first concert I ever paid for was... not Macklemore, even though this post is titled after him. It was actually for Bruno Mars and his Moonshine Jungle Tour. I did not have a blog post for his concert, but I did write an article on Spotify about my experience, which you can read here. Let's just say my Gorilla Man set the bar when it comes to live performances, and Macklemore certainly rose to the occasion.

On November 6, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis made a stop in my city for The Heist Tour, which had them performing their biggest hits and their realest singles off their album, The Heist. I will admit that before "Thrift Shop" came out, I wasn't aware of Macklemore. Matter of fact, I believe I was introduced to the song thanks to a Kids or Teens React episode on TheFineBros' YouTube channel. I looked up the song, loved the video and moved on. I didn't really look at Macklemore after that until "Same Love" was released. Identifying as SBNN (Straight but Not Narrow) and a HUGE supporter of Gay rights, I IMMEDIATELY became a Macklemore fan.

Macklemore completely blows my mind away because he is the first rapper I've ever listened to who addresses gay rights and never uses 'gay' or 'faggot' as an insult. To be quite honest, I wasn't a huge fan of rap because of the blatant homophobia that comes across in many rap songs today. I used to be a big supporter of Eminem, and while it's no question that the man is phenomenal when it comes to the art, I had to distance myself from him because of certain homophobic slurs he uses in his lyrics. Sure, they may not be slurs as he says they are, but if it makes me uncomfortable to listen to, then I'm going have to let it go. With Macklemore, I don't ever see that happening. His two albums really address issues that so many demographics can relate to, and I have not witnessed any prejudices or hateful lyrics while listening to his work.

I love Macklemore because he seems like one of the few artists who can correctly be labeled 'activist' and not be afraid to challenge some of the paradigms of society. He gives me hope that his music will touch the ears of the new generation and that they won't make the same mistakes that Generation Y made and the Millennials continue to make. "Same Love", "Starting Over", and "A Wake" on The Heist are easily my favorite songs of his because they carry messages that resound so closely to who I am and what I value as a person: equality, acceptance and love.

During his concert, I had so much fun. I was lucky enough to be right in front and it was obvious Macklemore was having as much fun as I was. Ryan Lewis may have been in the back being all inconspicuous, but his skill left my heart beating rapidly to the sound of his beats.

I really had a lot of fun at this concert. It really was on par with Bruno's back in July (and if y'all didn't already know, I am a HUGE Bruno Mars' fan, so this comparison means Macklemore seriously impressed) and I'm just as much a part of the #SharkFaceGang as I am Team #Hooligan. I laughed, I cried, I danced and I sang; the night was beautiful and Macklemore truly knows how to party.

I know a lot of people may still be sleeping on this lyrical duo (only ~6,000 people attended), but I really encourage you to look them up on YouTube (Not just "Thrift Shop" or "Can't Hold Us"... I'm talking their entire album) and just become familiar with him. He's not like other rappers, which is precisely why I love him so much. He has something real to say and it's worth listening to.

Slowly but surely, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are on their way to stealing the hearts of the world as they spread love, peace and music. Come their next tour, every city booked will be sold out and I'll be there to tell you that I told you so. If you want to dance and have a really, really, really good time, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are the way to go.

Signing off,

DesieDeep ♥