With his first new music in months coming in the form of a centerpiece feature on singer Fence’s debut single and video “Arrows” released yesterday (August 11), Macklemore described the video’s symbolism and high expectations for a follow-up to 2012’s The Heist in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Explaining the motivation behind his rapping from inside a cage in the video, Macklemore said he “oftentimes [feels] like a spectacle.” “There is this feeling, just walking around now, like, ‘I’m not even a human being,’” he said. “People are taking pictures of you. They don’t even ask you. There’s a lack of any sort of privacy. You don’t know what that is until you’re in that box. I try to go about my life with the utmost gratitude, but there are times when you’re like, ‘I feel like an animal stuck inside of these bars.'”
On his quick rise to fame alongside Ryan Lewis thanks to the success of a handful of Heist singles in 2013, Macklemore detailed the experience of losing control of his music as a function of success. “Once the general public gets ahold of that art, it takes on a new shape,” he said, echoing a sentiment he raps about on “Arrows.” “It’s its own living, breathing organism that is separate from the intention that it was created with in the first place. There’s times where you flirt with the idea of, ‘Would I be happier if I was a normal person making art in my bedroom?’–versus putting it out for the world and being molded into whatever they want to mold me into.”
“It’s the ladder of success, the ladder of fame,” he later said, describing a scene from the video in which he jumps into a pool full of his Rolling Stone cover magazine. “You climb to the top and you look down and you have that choice: ‘Am I going to take this jump into fame? Do I really want to take this plunge?’ And I do, and I get shot with an arrow. And that’s the other side of what this industry is…Obviously, to get the cover of Rolling Stone is such an iconic milestone in anyone’s career. Your life will never be the same once you take that plunge. I remember when that issue came out, walking around an airport and seeing my face all over everywhere, and being like, ‘This has changed now. Once you go this far, you can’t go back.'”
Detailing the difficulty in moving forward with new music, Macklemore admitted feeling sometimes at odds with listeners. “It’s definitely challenging when the world misunderstands what your intention is, but I wouldn’t trade anything that happened,” he said. “It gives you another layer, a callus, that forces to you to go internally and figure out some of your wiring that you might not have been forced to do had you not been put in that situation.”
With plans to fully return to the studio in September according to the article, Macklemore added that “there’s a ton of pressure” on the duo’s next steps. “We’re definitely working on the next album,” he said. “Ryan’s got a lot of beats, I’ve got a lot of writing. Obviously there’s a ton of pressure—it’s a sophomore album, and we never thought The Heist would be as big as it was. Now we have to live up to that.”
Watch the video for Fences’ Elektra Records debut “Arrows” on HipHopDX here.
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His singles better be good.
yea he’s one of the few remaining platinum rappers…ill feel so much pressure too
by RIAA standards its kanye west, him, jay-z, eminem, drake, lil wayne, kendrick lamar, and nicki minaj left
wayne and kanye aint go plat last time out. nicki either
Yeezus went Plat months ago nigga
Eminem ain’t hip-hop. Drake will be the last remaining platinum hip-hop artist, he’s the only person consistently dropping classic albums.
Don’t forget Rick Ross.
@OVO
Yes, Eminem is hip-hop. Drake won’t be the last platinum rapper looking at other rappers who also went platinum. Also, Drake doesn’t drop classic albums.
@Anonymous 3
Rick Ross never went platinum.
oh good,cant wait to hear some more of his gay propaganda.
I support gay marriage but I don’t support Macklemore
Amen
What did he think was gonna happen when he got famous? Sounds like he hates it. The way he talks I think he takes it way to seriously. Chill out dude
Too late .. NO MATTER WHAT the Music sounds like .. the Respect is lost .. Macklemore chose his path and he didn’t have to do it that way because the Talent is there .. It will always be CORNY and manufactured
Exactly. Just like G-Eazy. Fucking wack cornballs. And people like to use the excuse “oh you only say that because they’re white!” and shit… Nah, actually I AM white and I like talented white AND black rappers…
Vinnie Paz, Rittz, Esoteric, Ubiquitous, Celph Titled, Yelawolf, Slug, Brother Ali, Wrekonize, Apathy, etc shit on Macklemore, G-Eazy and MGK
I see what u tried to do there but Celph Titled and Slug are Puerto Rican and Brother Ali is an Albino.
Word UP .. Just wait for YELAWOLF to drop Love Story .. It will change how people think about Music
theyre half puerto rican arent they…. and Brother Ali is a WHITE albino dude
nah son, brother ali is just albino
how did macklemore lose respect exactly? i dont think he is any more corny than the other platinum mcs out there.
Ummm wtf Mgk is up there with the best today fuck boy, Yelawolf, Mgk, dizzy wright, logic are all tight
I gotta stop fucking with this site just out of sheer stupidity I read in these comments. Albino is not a RACE, lol.
anyone else noticed how in hiphop anything but blond hair, blue eyes caucasian is being considered black.
Gentrification Of Hip Hop. The Day The Wiggaz Took Over.
Macklemore is the G.O.A.T.
I just got paid usd6784 working off my laptop this month. And if you think that’s cool, my divorced friend has twin toddlers and made over usd9k her first month. It feels so good making so much money when other people have to work for so much less. This is what I do
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i luh only da real black hip hop even tho imma white but i still can recognize da real authentic black hip hop. Black Power 4eva!
idiot
This will FINALLY prove what a manufactured flash-in-the-pan hype they are; real hip hop will never go anywhere.
How is a completely independent duo manufactured? Flash in the pan? He’s been building a fan base for like 10 years, so maybe you don’t know what the fuck you are talking about.
No pressure from here Macklemore I already hated your first disc and I’m not wishing to see you at the Grammys again for rap, maybe for like alternative rap or something but not best rap album gtfo
Fuck Da, manufactured bullshit that some record exec decided to push to the mainstream, so fuck Wacklemore and Crying Lewis. Real hip hop artists DO NOT fuck with them, you can have that soccer mom wedding rap bullshit
Say what you will about Macklemore, but he wasn’t pushed into the mainstream by a record company. In fact, they don’t even have a record label and got popular through viral youtube videos.
Don’t worry, this will flop miserably
who cares he already set for life off that thrift shop/same love plat singles plus the platinum album
my nigga mack made more last year than rick ross made in any year since he been in the game.
My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can’t believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what I do,,,,,,
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