I am a 51 year old man with very little knowledge of the contemporary music scene. I attended over 100 concerts many years ago – mostly Grateful Dead and other rock concerts (Lou Reed and Black Uhuru at DAR Hall, The Clash at the Pier, Beck Soundgarden and Metallica at Lollapalooza, Bunny Wailer at MSG, Linton Kwesi Johnson in DC, and Parliament-Funkadelic at the Spectrum in Philly – back in high school WITH BOOTSY ON BASS - were the real unusual and standout shows for me).
These days, my interest in music and my knowledge of music come mostly from New York radio stations (they used to be good, or Lou Reed wouldntve had Janie learn about Rock n’ Roll from a New York radio station); and my 23 year old daughter, who teaches me about Ke$ha and Nikki Minaj, and keeps me as cool as a summer day in the era of global warming!
I discovered, after many long hours waiting for my wife at the Jamaica LIRR station, a rather hilarious song called Thrift Shop.
What attracted me to it was the funky campy beat going all the way through it (kind of like the soundtrack to a Jason Statham fight scene in The Transporter); and the lyrics, which immediately struck me as the anti-materialistic antidote to what I hate about so much crap I hear on urban radio. From folks bragging about all of their gold and cars, to Ri-Ri Rand only seeing dollar signs, I found these lyrics quite refreshing (and quite funny). (He even throws in a nasty-edged R. Kelly reference, lest anyone forget).
"Thrift Shop"
Hey, Macklemore! Can we go thrift shopping?
What, what, what, what... [many times]
Bada, badada, badada, bada... [x9]
[Hook:]
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I - I - I'm hunting, looking for a come-up
This is fucking awesome
[Verse 1:]
Nah, walk up to the club like, "What up? I got a big cock!"
I'm so pumped about some shit from the thrift shop
Ice on the fringe, it's so damn frosty
That people like, "Damn! That's a cold ass honkey."
Rollin' in, hella deep, headin' to the mezzanine,
Dressed in all pink, 'cept my gator shoes, those are green
Draped in a leopard mink, girls standin' next to me
Probably shoulda washed this, smells like R. Kelly's sheets
(Piiisssssss)
But shit, it was ninety-nine cents! (Bag it)
Coppin' it, washin' it, 'bout to go and get some compliments
Passin' up on those moccasins someone else's been walkin' in
But me and grungy fuckin it man
I am stuntin' and flossin' and
Savin' my money and I'm hella happy that's a bargain, bitch
I'ma take your grandpa's style, I'ma take your grandpa's style,
No for real - ask your grandpa - can I have his hand-me-downs? (Thank you)
Velour jumpsuit and some house slippers
Dookie brown leather jacket that I found diggin'
They had a broken keyboard, I bought a broken keyboard
I bought a skeet blanket, then I bought a kneeboard
Hello, hello, my ace man, my Mello
John Wayne ain't got nothing on my fringe game, hell no
I could take some Pro Wings, make them cool, sell those
The sneaker heads would be like "Aw, he got the Velcros"
[Hook x2]
[Verse 2:]
What you know about rockin' a wolf on your noggin?
What you knowin' about wearin' a fur fox skin?
I'm digging, I'm digging, I'm searching right through that luggage
One man's trash, that's another man's come-up
Thank your granddad for donating that plaid button-up shirt
'Cause right now I'm up in her stuntin'
I'm at the Goodwill, you can find me in the (Uptons)
I'm not, I'm not sick of searchin' in that section (Uptons)
Your grammy, your aunty, your momma, your mammy
I'll take those flannel zebra jammies, second-hand, I rock that motherfucker
The built-in onesie with the socks on that motherfucker
I hit the party and they stop in that motherfucker
They be like, "Oh, that Gucci - that's hella tight."
I'm like, "Yo - that's fifty dollars for a T-shirt."
Limited edition, let's do some simple addition
Fifty dollars for a T-shirt - that's just some ignorant bitch (shit)
I call that getting swindled and pimped (shit)
I call that getting tricked by a business
That shirt's hella dough
And having the same one as six other people in this club is a hella don't
Peep game, come take a look through my telescope
Tryna get girls from a brand? Man you hella won't
Man you hella won't
(Goodwill... poppin' tags... yeah!)
[Hook]
[Bridge:]
I wear your granddad's clothes
I look incredible
I'm in this big ass coat
From that thrift shop down the road
I wear your granddad's clothes (damn right)
I look incredible (now come on man)
I'm in this big ass coat (big ass coat)
From that thrift shop down the road (let's go)
[Hook]
Is that your grandma's coat?
(That bridge with “I wear your granddad’s clothes. I look incredible.” is quite catching.)
Then I decided to research this guy Macklemore and I found refreshing depth and groundbreaking character.
The man is gay and a valuable bold voice, as far as I have read.
Here are the lyrics to his “Same Love”.
When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay,
'Cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight.
I told my mom, tears rushing down my face
She's like "Ben you've loved girls since before pre-k, trippin' "
Yeah, I guess she had a point, didn't she?
Bunch of stereotypes all in my head.
I remember doing the math like, "Yeah, I'm good at little league"
A preconceived idea of what it all meant
For those that liked the same sex
Had the characteristics
The right wing conservatives think it's a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don't know
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago
I don't know
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately?
"Man, that's gay" gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we're saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don't have acceptance for 'em
Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it
Gay is synonymous with the lesser
It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself
When I was at church they taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service those words aren't anointed
That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned
When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same, but that's not important
No freedom till we're equal, damn right I support it
(I don't know)
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
We press play, don't press pause
Progress, march on
With the veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
Till the day that my uncles can be united by law
When kids are walking 'round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are
And a certificate on paper isn't gonna solve it all
But it's a damn good place to start
No law is gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever God you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it's all the same love
About time that we raised up
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
Love is patient
Love is kind
Love is patient
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
Love is kind
I found this song quite moving and quite bold.
Please remember, I am approaching this as an ignorant casual listener, who really knows nothing about this guy other than a few articles I read. I am highly open to education in this field/comments/etc.