In the three years prior to the release of rapper Ben Haggerty (Macklemore) & producer Ryan Lewis’ debut album The Heist, the duo were hard at work trying to create a record that would set them apart from their competition without having to go through initial mainstream support and corporate assistance.
It was through their persistence, talent and underground acclaim that saw them reach #1 on iTunes just a few hours after the independent release – a success story like no other.
Whether it’s Ryan Lewis’ true skill to produce and compose a backing track that flows remarkably well, such as in “Can’t Hold Us ft. Ray Dalton” and “A Wake ft. Evan Roman”, or Macklemore’s ability to return the favour and output words and energy to match it, there’s a feeling that the majority of the album is able to perfetly hit the spot it was aiming for.
With a vast range of lyrics that battle topics like same-sex equality in “Same Love ft. Mary Lambert” (“Right wing conservatives think it’s a decision/ and you can be cured with some treatment and religion”) or money in “Make the Money” (“make the money/ but don’t let the money make you”), it’s as though each song on the album runs to a completely different tangent from the last.
There’s much more to the duo than just “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love”. The Heist is a solid album with each track surpassing the last.
