Spencer Wu
Staff Writer

Always known as someone who pushes the liberal agenda on issues such as gay marriage and the Black Lives Matter movement, hip-hop artist Macklemore is not afraid to write songs about relevant issues in America.

Macklemore, who openly supported and endorsed senator Hillary Clinton during the election, released a song titled “Wednesday Morning” detailing his personal sentiments following the election results the previous Tuesday evening. With newly-elected future President Donald Trump waiting to hold office, the hip-hop artist created this track as a way of processing the shock that a majority of U.S. voters felt.

Instead of long-time producer and friend Ryan Lewis producing this song, Macklemore turned to his other long-time friend and fellow Seattle native, Budo. In it, he attacks a lot of Trump’s policies and promises, saying, “When they build walls, we’ll build bridges / This is resistance, we’re resilient / When they spread hate, we shine brilliant / March by the millions ‘til they hear the children.”

The overarching message behind this song is that Americans will confront this challenge head on, as Macklemore asserts, “We fight for the people that haven’t had a voice / Fight for the first amendment, fight for freedom of choice / Fight for women’s rights, if she does or doesn’t care / We ride for all the Queer folk and fight for all to get married / I’m not moving to Canada, not fleeing the nation.”

Inspired by the recent birth of his daughter, Sloane Haggerty, in 2015, Macklemore has focused a lot of his recent songs on her. His last single, “Growing Up,” is all about advice to his only child, so it should come as no surprise that he uses her as a scope to gain perspective on these types of topical issues.

This is definitely the case with this single as well, since she herself is the topic of conversation in the chorus, when Macklemore spits, “Mad world, mad world, that’s what the TV said / Imagine tryna keep your head while your daughter sleeps in bed / And when she wakes up, will the world be the same? Will my girl be afraid in the home of the brave?” She is also displayed on the artwork, looking up at an American flag.

Aside from political implications, Macklemore further expands his range as an artist with “Wednesday Morning.” He uses autotune for the first time in his commercial career; an always interesting device. It’s strange, but surprisingly effective, as his slow rhythm compliments the solemn and melodic piano-based beat that Budo provides.

In the end, this is like any other politically charged Macklemore song — a somber beat to accompany his progressive and strained vocals. That’s not a knock on the artist, however, as I do feel that these types of singles have weight that an average pop tune cannot provide. It’s sobering to see hip-hop return to storytelling about real-life events that have real-life implications.