Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - This Unruly Mess I've Made - 2/26

[swim]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6429347/macklemore-new-album-2015

This time last year, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were coming off of a massive 2013 and preparing to snag the Grammy award for best new artist and rock the ceremony with Madonna. 2014 was a quiet year for the duo in terms of recorded output, but Macklemore has confirmed a 2015 comeback, promising a new album this year to a fan on Twitter.

On Thursday (Jan. 1), a fan posted on Twitter, "Its 2015 and I still don't have a new @macklemore album wtf." The rapper spotted the loving complaint and replied, "You will this year. Believe that".

A source has confirmed to Billboard that there will indeed be a new Macklemore album in 2015, most likely in the second half of the year. Details of a lead single and release date are currently under wraps.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' debut album, The Heist, was released in October 2012 and spawned the No. 1 smashes "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us" on its way to an album of the year Grammy nomination. Macklemore was featured on the song "Arrows" by his pal Fences in 2014, and performed alongside Ed Sheeran at the iHeartRadio Music Festival last September.

Recently, Macklemore made headlines for an insightful radio interview on New York's Hot 97, in which he weighed in on white hip-hop stars like Iggy Azalea and the long-standing accusations of cultural appropriation. "This is not a culture that white people started," Macklemore said of hip-hop. "So I do believe, as much as I have honed my craft, as much as I have put in years of dedication into the music that I love, I do believe that I need to know my place, and that comes from me listening."

[trustypepper]

I'm skeptical about they're chances of scoring another pop hit, but I'm sure the album will do really well either way. I can't wait!

[tamed09]

Unless they don't want a pop hit, I forsee them having one

[surfy]

I don't care if they don't have another pop hit (but it would be nice to see their success continue!), I have enjoyed all of their songs so far, so I can't wait for this one!!! :)

[swim]

www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/macklemore_video_ruins_baby_an.html

For anyone who hasn't hear yet (this has been going around for a bit), Macklemore is having his first child this year.

[surfy]

Awwwww! Congrats to him!!! :)

[Flip]

Can't wait to hear their new album.

[#LisaRinna]

Welp.

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

Macklemore Reveals That He Suffered a Relapse Last Year
By Dee Lockett Follow Dee_Lockett

In a new cover story for Complex magazine, Macklemore has revealed that he suffered a relapse last year. The rapper, who has been open about his drug addiction and previous 2011 relapse, admits that fame forced him back to old habits:

"I held it together for a while. But, eventually, I stopped going to my 12-step meetings. I was burnt out. I was super-stressed. We weren’t sleeping — doing a show every day, zigzagging all over the country. In terms of the media I was getting put into a box that I never saw for myself. The pressure and the fame — everything. All the clichés, man — like not being able to walk around, having no privacy, and from this TV appearance to this TV appearance, and the criticism, and the lack of connection, and the lack of meetings — all of that put into one pie was just … I just wanted to escape."

He says he relapsed with sleeping pills and marijuana. When his fiancée, Tricia Davis, caught him with pills hidden in a shoe at SXSW, he "sobered up for a bit" and began impulse-shopping instead. But eventually, he says, "I sat in a car, a hot boxed car — I thought that was a good idea — and got high. And then the next day it was like, What’s up with the weed? And once I’m there, it’s over.” From that point, he says, he stopped making music with producer Ryan Lewis and started showing up high to meetings with his management. "Everyone knew, but they didn’t necessarily know," he says.

Macklemore says he spent the majority of summer 2014 trying to convince himself to quit. But it wasn't until Davis became pregnant earlier this year that he says he finally decided to "grow up," and he is currently clean and sober. Macklemore says that he and Ryan Lewis are about "three-fourths" of the way finished recording the follow-up to 2012's The Heist, due out later this year.

[maine]

Hmmm

[Hurricane Lee]

Being a celebrity is unfortunately a recipe for disaster for an addict. I feared his silence was related to relapse.

[maine]

New song:

https%3A//soundcloud.com/macklemore/macklemore-ryan-lewis-growing-up-sloanes-song-feat-ed-sheeran

[Glen Marley]

Didnt wow me but its a nice jam, having Ed Sheeran on it will always help.

[felipe]

I'm addicted to Downtown. Didn't expect to like it so much so fast. It's like Macklemore meets 70s Michael Jackson meets Meat Loaf! lol

[swim]

I think I need to listen to this more. Not sure what to think yet

[felipe]

Is there any news on the album?

[gbaby]

"Downtown" is so damn funky. It is such a feel-good song!

[It's me, bitch.]

Downtown logs in a number nine this week on Pop. Their fourth top 10.

Album date needs released asap

[Wave.]

"Downtown" goes up to #12 on the Hot 100!

[Clauss]

OUT 2-26-2016

[Rocky]

Self-deprecation? I'm sold.

[DJ General]

Finally, was wondering what the hold up was.

[AP]

Jan 15, 2016 15:13:00 GMT -5 DJ General said:

Finally, was wondering what the hold up was.

"Downtown" underperformed & the album would've gotten buried under much bigger Q4 releases.

[DJ General]

Nah, they would have sold fine.

[swim]

I wonder if we'll get a song soon? Mixed feelings on this project as a whole now that they've released three songs and then held off. I'm still interested, just more skeptical.

[Wave.]

Well.

www.nme.com/news/macklemore/90930?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=macklemore

[Hurricane Lee]

Is he insane?

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

That's...interesting. On one hand, I don't feel that Macklemore has ever tried to disguise the fact that he's white and therefore has privilege. He obviously benefitted from it and there's probably little he can do to avoid that, but he's always acknowledged it and doesn't try to come off as anything other than a white guy doing rap music. But on the other hand, if the belief that white people who do hip-hop are appropriating... he's putting himself in that situation. I'm trying to think of a way that this song can be a positive contribution to the discussion and I'm having trouble with it, but I haven't listened to it yet.

[George]

Jan 15, 2016 21:43:27 GMT -5 swim said:

I wonder if we'll get a song soon? Mixed feelings on this project as a whole now that they've released three songs and then held off. I'm still interested, just more skeptical.

What was the 3rd song? I've only heard "Downtown" and that Ed Sheeran one.

[maine]

Jan 22, 2016 15:33:28 GMT -5 George said:

Jan 15, 2016 21:43:27 GMT -5 swim said:

I wonder if we'll get a song soon? Mixed feelings on this project as a whole now that they've released three songs and then held off. I'm still interested, just more skeptical.

What was the 3rd song? I've only heard "Downtown" and that Ed Sheeran one.

"Kevin" (which has still for whatever reason not been released):