Starting Over - A Memoir about strength by Macklemore

Rational:

Ever since the release of his first album “The Heist” in 2012, Macklemore has been taking the hip-hop music industry by storm. Macklemore’s music allows the public to be exposed to different realities as the artist will often deliver a very distinct message within his lyrics, clearly expressing the construction who he is.  Macklemore delivers a certain level authenticity and engagement with his intended audience through his rap music by addressing relatable, realistic, and compendious subjects (LGBT community, race, substance abuse, etc).

In order to explore and deliver my understanding on the topic of language and identity better, I chose to write a memoir from written in Macklemore’s point of view. Throughout the years as music has evolved, rap has been used as an expression of cultural identity. This memoir “Starting Over” consists of Macklemore’s personal views on the subject of cultural identity, language and authenticity, and the critical engagement and relationship that he has obtained with his intended audience. The artist will reflect on some of his most successful songs such as “Same Love” and “Starting Over”, whom are direct reflections of who he is, his past experiences, and his perspective on everyday societal problems.  A mix of both AAVE dialect and standard English will be used in several sections of the memoir in order to clearly profile the writer's perspective and the way in which he addresses his audience.

The key characteristics that I intend to emulate through this piece of writing will be informative, relatable and relevant, compendious, and most importantly will have a innovative approach towards the addressed topics. This memoir delivers a personal and innovative perspective from a direct source, allowing the reader to critically engage with the topic of language and identity.

Word Count: 288

Starting over – A Memoir about strength.

by Macklemore

Rewind, set the record straight and start again.

Ben Haggerty is my name. Isn’t it funny how a person’s name is always going to be the first piece of information that you receive about someone?  They know who you are but not exactly who you are. A quote that I really go by is “You Know my name not my story.”. People may judge you for the way you look, where you’re from, the list goes on. What do I say to all this? Man, we live in a society where were all in the same pot, just trying to stay alive. Ya feel me? Some people know me as Ben, ya’ll may know me as Macklemore, or even Professor Macklemore. I often sit down and just simply think about why I do what I do, who I am, and what my next step is.

My name is Macklemore, and music has awakened me to one of the brightest, biggest paths of my life. Music is a part of me and has shaped who I am.

Sometimes, you’re so caught up in the moment that you don’t stop and think about what that moment is and the feeling behind it. Is it love? Passion? I’ll tell you what it is to me, it’s a God Given talent! A talent and passion that needs to be shared with people, so that they too can feel the love with you, and share the love. I am a firm believer in God and the spiritual path that you go through at every stage of your life. When you are given something so special to you, something you hold close to your heart, you gotta share that passion with the world. What would a world be without all those things? Love? Passion? I don’t got a clue, the answer really doesn’t come to mind.

Music has followed me through life for quite some time now, and I would have to say that it is a direct and accurate as hell reflection of who I am as a person. My music is who I am, it’s just like that and no one can change that. I mean, how does someone pile up all those memories, experiences, feelings and not feel the need to let it out? Music is my guardian angel in that way. 

Right now, I’m letting ya’ll know straight up, I feel on top of the moon. But let’s rewind a bit first and let me just say that It wasn’t easy getting to where I am now. To be honest, I’m not going to lie, I know I keep talking about passion and never holding back the love, but let me just say that I did have to think twice about entering this particular music business that I’m in right now. I knew from about the age of 8 years old, being surrounded by music and all all around the house and all, I knew that I had this God Given talent and that the mighty Lord himself wanted me to do something about it. So I started writing, and writing about anything I could think of. Imagination can be hard to get to at times, that’s when I turned to my own reality.

Yes, I did grow up in a very open-minded and friendly area in Seattle. My closest bros were my uncle Johnny and my Godfather. And yes, they were both gay. Johnny owned a restaurant which was a huge attraction for the gay community. You could basically say that I grew up surrounded by gay folks, and I certainly did not have a problem with that. I spent so much time with them that I even began to question my sexuality. Some of you might go back and think to the lyrics of “Same Love”. No I am not gay myself, but that period of confusion has stayed with me to this day and has inspired and opened my eyes to so many elements in my life. Back in 2008, I went through a time period where my life was filled with poison. It took a while, but I did manage to find the clarity I needed in order to help me find the light.

 This inspiration, this driving force led me to writing some of the most meaningful songs in society today. Homophobia and substance abuse are realities that many of us face, but none of us are facing it alone. When I perform “Same Love” and “Starting Over”, they are performed with such passion that I connect with the audience on such a high level. I write these songs not only for myself, but for my fans who, without them, I don’t know where I would be. That’s love man. Sometimes, I even catch my fans in tears but still chanting the lyrics of the song with such strength and passion. In that moment I feel our hearts and identities bonding to become one. It’s moments like these when I know I’m doing my job right.

Climbing up the ladder of fame was not always easy for me. When you stop and think about it, what’s a hip-hop community of black guys gonna expect from a skinny white dude like myself? If you’re going to be a white dude and do what you do, you are to have to take some level of accountability and acknowledge where the art came from, where it is today and how you’re benefiting from it. Call me authentic, but at the end of the day we’re all here for the same reason, to write, produce and share songs with our audience. We need to make sure we deliver music’s general connection to our identity.

To this day, I have never forgotten where I came from and do not intend to die holding onto my words.

Word Count: 974

Works Cited

"Macklemore – Interview With Rolling Stone (Comments on Race and Success)." Genius. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://news.genius.com/Macklemore-interview-with-rolling-stone-comments-on-race-and-success-annotated>.

""Same Love" Lyrics." MACKLEMORE LYRICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/macklemore/samelove.html>.

"Sociology Lens." Sociology Lens RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://thesocietypages.org/sociologylens/2013/08/28/wheres-my-place-in-a-music-thats-been-taken-by-my-race-macklemore-and-authentic-white-hip-hop/>.

""Starting Over" Lyrics." MACKLEMORE LYRICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/macklemore/startingover.html>.