Why Is Macklemore Appropriating Mumble Rap?

The rapper’s latest track “Marmalade” reveals an apparent identity crisis.

First things first: 2013 was a good year for Macklemore. Not only did he score two chart-topping hits (“Thrift Shop”, “Can’t Hold Us”) alongside the oft-forgotten Ryan Lewis, but he informed the millennial generation that nabbing second-hand “come-ups” is way more legit than overspending at J. Crew. Spitting clever lines that made ordinary clothing seem exciting, Macklemore solidified himself as the crossover rapper of the year, embarking on a world tour and rounding out the year with two more trips to the Top 20 (“Same Love”, “White Walls”).

By the summer of 2015, however, every Salvo was bereft of faux-fur coats, and Macklemore’s radio presence had plummeted. When he and Lewis returned to the scene with an ode to mopeds (“Downtown”), DJ’s had trouble squeezing the five-minute track into a radio format. Furthermore, Macklemore’s eccentric Americana swag couldn’t bolster the trendiness of mopeds like it had for thrift-shopping. Following a “lackluster” album release (The Unruly Mess I’ve Made), which sold only one-third of its predecessor (The Heist), Macklemore sunk back into the shadows.

So when Macklemore announced that he and Lewis had (amicably) split ways this past February, the world shrugged. Meh.

Macklemore did announce that he’ll be making solo music. So like, that means he’ll be relevant again…right? Not so fast.

Like all crossover rappers who strike gold in the pop world (eyes to Fetty Wap), Macklemore needs to reinvent himself if he wants to be considered an actual presence in the rap world. As evidenced by his flat-tired moped anthem, the same would be true if he were to successfully reenter the pop world. On top of that, the music game is completely different than it was four years ago. Saturated with the likes of Ed Sheeran and (miraculously) all five members of One Direction, the hip-pop realm has co-opted (read: appropriated) many hip-hop elements into EDM-laced fluff. On the rap side of things, Jay-Z gets emotional and Chance The Rapper whips out multiple Jesus-praising choirs in order to compete with the onslaught of mumble rap. (FYI: for those in the dark, check out this 2016 Billboard piece about “mumble rap”.)

Here’s the issue: Macklemore doesn’t seem to have a clear plan. Two track into his aforementioned upcoming solo release, and it’s unclear who he is trying to be, both as a musician and as an icon.

Driven by an octave-laden piano hook, group background vocals and a stomping kick-drum, Macklemore’s first single from the project, “Glorious”, sees the Seattle rapper reliving past glories, while trying to drum up “Can’t Hold Us”-level energy. Unfortunately for The Mack, “Glorious” loses its footing as soon as he unconvincingly raps: “You know, I’m back like I never left.” Lacking the Ryan Lewis-quirkiness of Macklemore’s previous beats, the track stumbles into a mid-tempo chorus crooned out by Skylar Grey, perhaps the most forgettable popstar you ever knew. From Macklemore’s aspirations to Grey’s vocals, no portion of the track is outrightly horrid, but nothing feels fresh. (Except, we recommend the cute video he made for his grandma’s 100th birthday. Dawwww. HBD, Grandma!) Macklemore’s first attempt at finding a place in the music world, reliving old glories, fails to do just that.

On this week’s “Marmalade”, we get another version of the new Macklemore: the mumble rap Macklemore. (Because, if you can’t beat ‘em… join ‘em?) Hilariously similar to D.R.A.M.’s “Broccoli”, the composition features a staccato piano… over a trap beat… and even a feature from Lil Yachty. (It’s totally “Broccoli”.) Macklemore boasts about his Rolex (“don’t worry, I’m timeless”) and his chains in true mumble rap fashion, while also injecting little bits of Macklemore-isms (“I just switched over to Geico, like whoooo” and “you be on Tinder… but I’m committed. Keep my **** in my britches.”). By the time Yachty hops on the beat, you may be asking yourself, “Does he have the right to co-opt mumble rap?” (For questions, please refer to White Privilege controversies and the attempts to diffuse such controversies.) With that question raised, “Marmalade” showcases a new side of Macklemore that may (questionably) cross mumble rap over to the pop world in one well-executed, sugary gob.

Both solo tracks feature a rapper who has tasted greatness, and he’s so obviously dying to taste it again. While BFFL Ryan Lewis produces epic comeback tracks for Ke$ha (“Praying”), Macklemore is dabbling in the old and the new, grasping at straws of inspiration and hoping to “come up” with treasure. Once one to wear his heart on his sleeve, Macklemore needs to find where his heart (and musicality) actually lies, before he can push full-steam ahead into the music industry. When he does, will we see Old Glory Mack, Mumble Rap Mack or a version of Macklemore that we have yet to see? Only time will tell.