About four years ago Macklemore and Ryan Lewis shocked the world with their game changing album “The Heist”. To most hip hop fans it was like they came out of nowhere and took over the music industry. In reality Macklemore had been grinding hard since he was 14 for this exact moment. The independent duo had the platinum, Grammy winning album they have been looking for. And now years later they are getting ready to release their second full length studio album entitled This Unruly Mess I’ve Made.

Earlier this summer they teased the album by releasing a random song, “Downtown”. That was the first indication we had that an album was on the way. With no release date in sight I started to wonder if the album would ever come out. “Downtown” for me was not the game changing song we were all waiting for. It was like their “Thrift shop” from the Heist, a silly song with a very catchy chorus. When the Heist was released no one, not even me was ready for how great the album was going to be. I remember listening to the album from start to finish, one song made me cry, another made me shout with anger and another one made me dance like crazy. The Heist was exactly what an album should be a complete story that makes you think different and feel something from every song. I remember listening to the song “Starting Over” for the first time and just bawling my eyes out. All the emotions that were built up in the song stirred something inside me that opened my eyes to what Macklemore was going through. I felt his pain. This is why I was extremely excited to hear what they had in store for us with their second album. After the buzz of “Downtown” wore off they came back into the scene as they premiered a new song at the American Music Awards. They sang the hard hitting song “Kevin”, the track taking aim at the pharmaceutical industry in the states. I sat there on my buddies couch watching Macklemore and upcoming singer Leon Bridges take command of the stage. Their performance left me with chills. This was the music we were all wanting and waiting for from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.  And just the other day they finally announced the release date for their newest album This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, dropping February 26^th. Why should you be excited for this album? Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are not making music to take over the industry anymore. They did that with their last album, they don’t have anything to prove. Now they are able to put out the music they want to, the music that talks to us on a deeper level, the music that really makes us think. Still not excited? Then you haven’t heard “White Privilege II” yet.