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Macklemore - Gemini (Bendo LLC)
Released: September 22nd, 2017
Underground internet rapper turned pop star, Macklemore, is back with a new album, Gemini. This is a follow up to his last full length album featuring Ryan Lewis, This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016).
Known for his very fun musical themes and anthemic jams, this Seattle based rapper has been at it for a while. Ever since his tracks "Can't Hold Us" and "Thrift Shop" blew up, he has been added to the category of pop-rap, or just pop-music, in general. He has also made tracks with political stances ("Same Love") or songs that focus on heavy drug abuse ("Kevin" and "Otherside"). Normally partnered with his main producer, this is Macklemore's first solo work since 2005.
Again, Macklemore delivers another album where he raps about various topics over jumpy and poppy beats. Gemini lasts one hour and contains sixteen songs, with featured guests on all but one.
The singles from this album include "Glorious (feat. Skylar Grey)", "Marmalade (feat. Lil Yachty)" and "Good Old Days (feat. Kesha)".
"Glorious" is the lead single and it sounds just like you'd expect. Including very positive energy, pulsating bass hits and a simple anthemic chorus. The vocal feature from Skylar Grey is very pretty and a nice touch to the track. There's not too much from this song. To me, it sounds like a classic radio pop/hip-hop tune.
Those vibes continue on to "Marmalade". The beat is very Lil Yachty friendly, especially with the presence of the piano melodies along with the trap-style hi-hat pattern. I think the beat is pretty stale and gets old quick, but I could imagine this becoming viral because of that Lil Yachty style that bleeds throughout the song.
On "Good Old Days (feat. Kesha)" Macklemore tackles the concept of growing up...
We were underground
Loading merch in that 12-passenger van
In a small club in Minnesota
And the snow outside of 1st Ave
I just wanted my name in a star
Now look at where we at
Honestly, Kesha delivers a very solid chorus. Her vocal complements the piano melody very well along with Macklemore's verses. This track is way more a pop song than any type of hip-hop or rap. Again, the instrumental and chord progressions are very positive, light, easy, gentle and inspiring. The guitar picks that show up during the verses are a nice touch to the instrumentation.
Other notables from Gemini include "Ain't Gonna Die Tonight (feat. Eric Nally)", "Willy Wonka (feat. Offset)", "Levitate (feat. Otieno Terry)", "How To Play the Flute (feat. King Draino)" and "Zara (feat. Abir)".
The lead track "Ain't Gonna Die Tonight (feat. Eric Nally)" is a pretty solid pop song. Nally was also the main feature from Macklemore's 2015 song "Downtown". The chorus is very poppy and catchy. Nally's vocals are somewhat scratchy, rough and loud, but it definitely adds to the track. The song contains simple percussion along with consistent piano stabs throughout.
The beat off of "Willy Wonka (feat. Offset)" is very Migos-esque, which makes me think how much better this track would have been if it were theirs. Macklemore does attack the verses nicely, even speeding it up sometimes, but the production would have been better in someone else hands. Personally, I feel like the chorus I woke up like bitch I'm Willy Wonka! is super lame. Offset's feature nice, but again I think this beat would have been awesome for Migos. The synth play and drum patches throughout are a nice touch though.
You can find another mainstream trap/hip-hop on "How To Play the Flute (feat. King Draino)". Again, sounds very Migos-esque.
"Levitate (feat. Otieno Terry)" is a nice track solely because of the bass line and break beat. It is some simple and catchy jazz/r&b influenced hip/hop. Pretty good.
"Zara (feat. Abir)" is another nice track too. The beat is airy and light. The vocal feature from Abir is a highlight for sure. But again, I feel like if someone else was on this beat, it would be so much more impactful, Chance The Rapper especially.
On the track "Ten Million" Macklemore sounds just like a Travis Scott rip-off on the chorus. Although the beat is nice, I feel like the song is soiled because he's just sounding like another rapper and not himself.
Besides these tracks, this album is just a mix of random songs and tracks. There is no consistent theme or anything of that sort; very unorganized. This album isn't something you must checkout by any means. It does have some nice pop hits here and there, but nothing to blow you away.
One thing I can take away from this album is the feature list. Almost every single featured played a huge role in each track and added an element that took the song to another level. The chorus' that featured female vocalists were catchy, attractive and enjoyable to listen to. The male features complemented Macklemore's style at times as well.
If you're already a fan of Macklemore and you're looking for some very well produced pop-rap and hip-hop, check this album out. Listen below...
Listen: Macklemore - Ain't Gonna Die Tonight & Macklemore - Glorious
Genre: Pop/Pop-Rap/Pop Hip-Hop/Arena Hip-Hop/Hip-Hop/Rap
Rating: 4/10
Fav Songs: Ain't Gonna Die Tonight, Glorious, Levitate, Zara
Known for his very fun musical themes and anthemic jams, this Seattle based rapper has been at it for a while. Ever since his tracks "Can't Hold Us" and "Thrift Shop" blew up, he has been added to the category of pop-rap, or just pop-music, in general. He has also made tracks with political stances ("Same Love") or songs that focus on heavy drug abuse ("Kevin" and "Otherside"). Normally partnered with his main producer, this is Macklemore's first solo work since 2005.
Again, Macklemore delivers another album where he raps about various topics over jumpy and poppy beats. Gemini lasts one hour and contains sixteen songs, with featured guests on all but one.
The singles from this album include "Glorious (feat. Skylar Grey)", "Marmalade (feat. Lil Yachty)" and "Good Old Days (feat. Kesha)".
"Glorious" is the lead single and it sounds just like you'd expect. Including very positive energy, pulsating bass hits and a simple anthemic chorus. The vocal feature from Skylar Grey is very pretty and a nice touch to the track. There's not too much from this song. To me, it sounds like a classic radio pop/hip-hop tune.
Those vibes continue on to "Marmalade". The beat is very Lil Yachty friendly, especially with the presence of the piano melodies along with the trap-style hi-hat pattern. I think the beat is pretty stale and gets old quick, but I could imagine this becoming viral because of that Lil Yachty style that bleeds throughout the song.
On "Good Old Days (feat. Kesha)" Macklemore tackles the concept of growing up...
We were underground
Loading merch in that 12-passenger van
In a small club in Minnesota
And the snow outside of 1st Ave
I just wanted my name in a star
Now look at where we at
Honestly, Kesha delivers a very solid chorus. Her vocal complements the piano melody very well along with Macklemore's verses. This track is way more a pop song than any type of hip-hop or rap. Again, the instrumental and chord progressions are very positive, light, easy, gentle and inspiring. The guitar picks that show up during the verses are a nice touch to the instrumentation.
Other notables from Gemini include "Ain't Gonna Die Tonight (feat. Eric Nally)", "Willy Wonka (feat. Offset)", "Levitate (feat. Otieno Terry)", "How To Play the Flute (feat. King Draino)" and "Zara (feat. Abir)".
The lead track "Ain't Gonna Die Tonight (feat. Eric Nally)" is a pretty solid pop song. Nally was also the main feature from Macklemore's 2015 song "Downtown". The chorus is very poppy and catchy. Nally's vocals are somewhat scratchy, rough and loud, but it definitely adds to the track. The song contains simple percussion along with consistent piano stabs throughout.
The beat off of "Willy Wonka (feat. Offset)" is very Migos-esque, which makes me think how much better this track would have been if it were theirs. Macklemore does attack the verses nicely, even speeding it up sometimes, but the production would have been better in someone else hands. Personally, I feel like the chorus I woke up like bitch I'm Willy Wonka! is super lame. Offset's feature nice, but again I think this beat would have been awesome for Migos. The synth play and drum patches throughout are a nice touch though.
You can find another mainstream trap/hip-hop on "How To Play the Flute (feat. King Draino)". Again, sounds very Migos-esque.
"Levitate (feat. Otieno Terry)" is a nice track solely because of the bass line and break beat. It is some simple and catchy jazz/r&b influenced hip/hop. Pretty good.
"Zara (feat. Abir)" is another nice track too. The beat is airy and light. The vocal feature from Abir is a highlight for sure. But again, I feel like if someone else was on this beat, it would be so much more impactful, Chance The Rapper especially.
On the track "Ten Million" Macklemore sounds just like a Travis Scott rip-off on the chorus. Although the beat is nice, I feel like the song is soiled because he's just sounding like another rapper and not himself.
Besides these tracks, this album is just a mix of random songs and tracks. There is no consistent theme or anything of that sort; very unorganized. This album isn't something you must checkout by any means. It does have some nice pop hits here and there, but nothing to blow you away.
One thing I can take away from this album is the feature list. Almost every single featured played a huge role in each track and added an element that took the song to another level. The chorus' that featured female vocalists were catchy, attractive and enjoyable to listen to. The male features complemented Macklemore's style at times as well.
If you're already a fan of Macklemore and you're looking for some very well produced pop-rap and hip-hop, check this album out. Listen below...
Listen: Macklemore - Ain't Gonna Die Tonight & Macklemore - Glorious
Genre: Pop/Pop-Rap/Pop Hip-Hop/Arena Hip-Hop/Hip-Hop/Rap
Rating: 4/10
Fav Songs: Ain't Gonna Die Tonight, Glorious, Levitate, Zara
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