Album: Macklemore - The Language Of My World (2005)

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Hit Play Button to Preview a Few Amazing Tracks
1. Intro
2. White Privilege
3. B-Boy
4. Claiming The City (Feat. Abyssinian Creole)
5. Fake I.D.
6. Hold Your Head Up (Feat. Xperience)
7. Ego
8. Inhale Deep
9. Bush Song
10. Good For You (Feat. Step Cousins)
11. I Said Hey
12. Penis Song
13. The Magic
14. City Don't Sleep (Feat. Don-P)
15. Love Song (Feat. Evan Roman)
16. Remember High School
17. Contradiction (Feat. Evan Roman)
18. Soldiers
19. As Soon As I Wake Up (Feat. Step Cousins)
20. My Language

After seeing this video I knew I had to hear more from Macklemore... 

Macklemore - Live at Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival

For the first time in about a year I was compelled to sit and listen to a whole album - start to finish - with no breaks. Just to take a block out of my day to simply sit and listen to an album and boy was I glad I did. I couldn't help being reminded of the quote The Roots used at the end of the intro track for their 1999 album Things Fall Apart, which says "Inevitably, hip hop records are treated as though they are disposable, they're not maximized as product even, ya know not to mention as art" The Roots - Act Won...Things Fall Apart. The quote really sums up the fact that rap albums for the past 10 years have been nothing, but filler with a few nice tracks. This is the reason I no longer consume music by the album... because artists don't maximize their product anymore.

However, Macklemore surprised me on this one and has proven the quote wrong with his album The Language Of My World. He has managed to maximize an album, filling it to the brim with great music (and in 2005 nonetheless). This is quite an accomplishment for an up-and-coming white hip hop artist from Seattle to make his debut nothing short of spectacular. In the album, Macklemore drops a ton of knowledge about all types of social issues and uses his music as a sounding board to tease out his own personal demons. This is self-reflective hip hop and Macklemore is articulate, educated, and humorous, but above all - the guy rips the mic with a passion and an internal flame that has been lacking in hip hop for years.

Please pick up some headphones and listen to this album. When you hear an artist like this, you know they have got something REAL to say and you should give it your full attention.