“Equality takes time, and I don’t think that a song like ‘Same Love’ would have been accepted 10 years ago or 15 years ago in the hip-hop community. “I think that civil rights issues take a lot of time to develop,” said Macklemore in an interview with NPR back in November 2012. Song: Same Love, Album: The Heist, Social Issue: Gay rights, Views: 86.9 million Song: Wing$, Album: The Heist, Social Issue: Consumerism, Views: 37.4 million

Song: Otherside, Album: VS Redux EP, Social Issue: Drug use/addiction, Views: 33 million So exactly what kinds of social issues is Macklemore putting a magnifying glass on? Most have also been brought to life with impeccable music videos produced by Ryan Lewis, Macklemore’s right-hand man and producer. And he’s been rapping about these issues from the start.

However, “Same Love” isn’t the first song with a social message for Macklemore – his songs address social issues from gay rights to consumerism to drug addiction. He skyrocketed to unprecedented success because of what many would call a meaningless song – “ Thrift Shop.” Then at the MTV Video Music Awards in August he took home the award for the Best Video with a Social Message for his gay rights anthem, “Same Love.” One is a song that makes nightclubs come alive by rapping about the things you find at Goodwill and the other stops many people long enough to listen because it tackles such a sensitive issue. Macklemore seems to be the biggest irony of them all.

There are millions of songs out there, but recently there is one artist I specifically associate with meaningful music. Some go further to discuss the social issues going on in America, or even around the world. Regardless, songs put words to the wide range of emotions people feel everyday. The song also literally says, “I’ve been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be” – so I think Ryan Tedder was thinking of me when he wrote the song. It’s not a novel idea that songs have meaning.įor me, OneRepublic’s “ Counting Stars” is the song I’ve continued to go to lately when my big picture dreams become too overwhelming – for at least 4 minutes and 17 seconds I can disconnect from the thousands of thoughts consuming my mind.

Macklemore songs videos