“She” praises him for his positive hip-hop at the same time she generalizes Black hip-hop music as, “…the guns and the drugs / The bitches and the hoes and the gangs and the thugs,” eventually roping the Black Lives Matter movement into the generalization as well. This line is spoken by Macklemore imitating an older white mother in a coffee shop. Upon the utterance of the line, “If a cop pulls you over it’s your fault if you run,” the piano’s key cover slams shut, cutting the instrument out completely and switching to more emotionally-reflective synthesized tones. What carries the song along-and gives it such a fantastic progression-is the minimalistic piano underpinning. “White Privilege II” can only be described as a cacophonous whirlwind of choir singing, sax, and prose-combining a litany of guest speakers including soul singer Jamila Woods into a stirring song. Doubtlessly the album’s focal single, “White Privilege II” is notable for its thorough examination of white privilege in the music industry in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement (to say nothing of its near nine minute length).
Aside from the ethereal noises, her only lines are in Spanish: “Otra cuidad, otra vida,” or, “Another city, another life.” Macklemore further characterizes this sentiment in “Growing Up,” saying, “I’m gonna be there for your first breath / I don’t know if I’ll be there for your first step.”īoth “The Train” and “Bolo Tie” highlight the strains of fame on Macklemore as an individual, whereas “Light Tunnels” and “White Privilege II” examine societal issues through the lens of his personal experience. The train in question being a metaphor for his music career which he feels “ be crazy to exit.” He raps about how his touring estranges him from his family to the backdrop of the sounds of a steam train and Carla Morrison’s haunting vocals.
This sentiment is echoed in “The Train,” a quiet elegy for Macklemore’s family life. After his speech, he reveals his guilt over being inescapably trapped as a pop star, saying, “Miserable here but wanna make sure I’m invited next year.” Macklemore labels the Grammys as a marketing scheme rather than an artistically-motivated event when he raps, “They want the gossip, they want the drama / They want Britney Spears to make out with Madonna / They want Kanye to rant and to go on longer, cause that equates to more dollars.” At the end of the song, orchestral trumpets accompany Macklemore’s nervous-yet-gracious acceptance speech. The track uses hip-hop singer Mike Slap’s melodic vocals, the Seahawks drumline choir, a 12-to-15 piece string section, a harpist, and a dulcimer player to expose his love/hate relationship with his hip-hop career.
This Unruly Mess I’ve Made opens with “Light Tunnels,” wherein Macklemore narrates the night of the 2014 Grammys at which he and Ryan Lewis won for their previous album, The Heist. This topical range as well a mix of musical styles makes This Unruly Mess I’ve Made particularly hard to place beyond a few recurring motifs such as weariness and fame (go figure). T his Unruly Mess I’ve Made is a concept album insofar as the concept is “everything.” In 13 songs it covers topics ranging from a sharply-timed critique of celebrity award shows to overeating and tagging, ending with an extended discussion of white privilege and its relationship to rap and hip-hop.
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