All posts in: Macklemore

28 Nov 2015

What We’re Listening To: Leon Bridges

2015 was the year of extraordinary music and full albums that I’ve just fallen in love with. Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to write a more comprehensive post about the artists and songs we got after as we get closer to the new year. I’ve been listening to songs from Leon Bridges here and there for awhile, but had become so distracted that I never actually got the whole album and added it to my Spotify. I’m a little embarassed to say this, but it was that performance of “Kevin” that he did with Macklemore last week at the American Music Awards that woke me up. After that, I spent the whole rest of the evening listening to “Coming Home.” With every song, I started wondering about how much better it would sound if I could just play it on my record player and not from my speakers. I absolutely adore Leon. It’s the kind of music that takes you back years and years beyond Mayer Hawthorne, beyond Raphael Saadique, and is so timeless. Leon is just 26 years old – a year older than me – and he sounds like he’s been doing this forever. The soul soundtrack is sometimes all I need/want to listen to right before I go to bed. And it’s the soundtrack I can imagine myself dancing along to with my s/o in the kitchen after a long night. So charming. Okay, we’re smitten – I guess you could say that we’re more than just a little excited about Leon.

Here are our favorites:

  • Coming Home
  • Better Man
  • Brown Skin Girl
  • Smooth Sailin’
  • Shine
  • Lisa Sawyer
  • Flowers
  • Pull Away
  • River
  • (basically the whole album)

19 May 2014

Macklemore’s Mess Up

macklemore tweet1

Oh boy… America’s favorite and definitely Seattle’s favorite rapper Macklemore has done goofed. At a secret performance on Friday night at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Macklemore donned an outfit resembling very closely to a Jewish caricature. For someone who cares so much about equality, you would think that an outfit like this would be completely out of the question for him. That’s why people are so confused! I don’t want to say right away that this is taking away his credibility for everything that he has started and preached, but it definitely doesn’t look good.

To make matters worse, Macklemore didn’t apologize. Upon being called out on it by actor Seth Rogen, Macklemore went on to further deny it and didn’t take responsibility for his actions.

mackelmore denial

How is he gonna get out of this one? Today, I found him on Instagram with Seattle Seahawks football player Russell Wilson visiting patients in the hospital (something Wilson regularly does.) Is this timing and appearance a coincidence to distract people from his very offensive costume?

[Source]

Oh wait… we do have an apology! You can check it out here. Thoughts anyone?

29 Jan 2014

The Humblebrag

macklemore tweet

So it’s been a few days since this actually happened and everything has kind of blown of since then, but seeing this text made me feel incredibly uncomfortable! No one can deny that Macklemore has done such great things for the city of Seattle and has turned things around in the scene. Locals are excited about him and proud. Taking home as many Grammys as he did on Sunday night was quite the achievement, but it quickly turned sour the next morning when he wrote this tweet and instagramed this text.

It is what we call “the humblebrag.” It wasn’t enough that you couldn’t privately text this to Kendrick, but you had to publicize it as well? Why do people need to see this? You had a standout performance at the Grammys and you married some couples which was kind of cool, but it kind of begs us to ask – what exactly is Macklemore looking for? Another pat on the back? Some more praise and additional respect from fans saying that he acknowledged that maybe he didn’t deserve Best Rap Album, but he’s telling Kendrick that in a personal text and needs the entire world to see it?

I like what Macklemore stands for and he’s done work this year, but this was in poor taste and I didn’t like it.

28 Jan 2014

Hollis Wong-Wear in Mass Appeal

We have a little bit of something called a “soft spot” when it comes to former Yow Yow! guests getting media attention. Our girl, Hollis Wong-Wear walked the red carpet at the Grammys Sunday evening because if Macklemore and Ryan Lewis had won for Album of the Year she would have gotten to walk up on stage with the group to accept that award. Sadly, the win wasn’t in their favor, but that didn’t mean that the duo didn’t take home plenty of awards including “Best Rap Album.” Though we know her for her rift in “White Walls,” Hollis has played a huge role in the music that Macklemore and Ryan Lewis has made and that’s why we are so darn proud of her and can’t wait for what’s to come from not only her side project “The Flavr Blue,” but her solo project that she has slightly teased us with.

Check out her interview with Mass Appeal here and her Billboard interview on the red carpet here.

15 Jan 2014

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Take Over A NYC Bus

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDUz82dBqTQ#t=127]

We’ve always been a huge fan of spontaneous shows and performances on Yow Yow! and this one is no different. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis hopped on a NYC bus recently to perform their hit single “Can’t Hold Us” and at first everyone seems a little bit confused, but by the end of it everyone has pretty much gotten on board.

[Source]

11 Dec 2013

Hollis Wong-Wear for Billboard Magazine

photo cred | Behzod Sirjani

One of the best parts about writing for Yow Yow! is having the opportunity to interview individuals that I admire and individuals that do something completely different with their craft than I do. We were thrilled to have Hollis on the blog earlier this year as part of our “Women Who Are Making It” series. We always knew that she was going to be a big deal someday and she’s well on her way to getting there. Recognized for her chorus in Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “White Walls” along with being an all-around icon in the Seattle music scene for her work behind the scenes on their music videos and working with Blue Scholars, Hollis is a woman of many talents. She has her own band, The Flavr Blue, which I listen to daily and now she’s got an article by Billboard Magazine. You can read it here.

Congrats Hollis! No one is more deserving than you and we’ll be rooting for you every day.

03 Oct 2013

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis To Release Documentary

David Bitton is collaborating with the Seattle hip hop duo to bring to audiences a documentary that highlights their life on tour in a new series. The documentary will focus mainly on their first international tour. The project is the first installment of Bitton’s denim brand’s “Blank Check Series” which will include a variety of artists who will produce their own content.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis will debut the first of five films tomorrow via their social media networks and on their website. If it’s on YouTube, we’ll probably throw it up here on the blog for you all.

[Source]

09 Sep 2013

Music Video of the Day

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PLifPUIuic&feature=youtu.be]

Readers!

I am currently right in the middle of the biggest move of my life so I hope you’ll be patient with me as there won’t be very many posts for the next couple of weeks. Regardless, you don’t have to worry about Yow Yow! going anywhere, we just might not be “on top” of the news as we are used to. Today Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released their latest music video for their single “White Walls” and we’re huge fans because

a) it features Hollis Wong-Wear and we pretty much love her here at Yow Yow!

b) it was filmed in Capitol Hill – granted people were at this shoot for hours and less than a minute of it was featured, but it’s still cool because… city pride, right?

c) the group highlighted Dick’s – my favorite burger joint that I will miss moving down the coast.

I feel so lucky and privileged to have worked with all four of these individuals in the past, but mainly Hollis through Yow Yow! and Schoolboy Q through my work in the music industry. It’s amazing to see the four of them together in one video.

29 Aug 2013

Performance of the Day

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZBSxa1Xf1c]

Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Schoolboy Q, and Hollis performed their single “White Walls” on Jay Leno the other night and it was spectacular. I feel very privileged that I have had the opportunity to work with all four of these individuals in some capacity.