In case you haven’t heard, Macklemore released a new, “self-titled” album on Friday so I was very excited when I had a 4-hour drive and an opportunity to listen to it yesterday. Overall, it’s legitimately a good album and very much in line with Macklemore’s style, but I NEED is hands down my favorite.
Right at the start of the song, the lyrics are quite grotesque and, if you skip the track after the first 12 seconds, you’re probably thinking it’s typical hip hop hedonism. But there’s far more to it. Rapid fire, he raps about all the things he needs—sorry, “needs”. And while that’s going on, you’re left strongly tempted to judge his words. But eventually, as you listen to this excessive want, it sinks in that these are the same exact thoughts that you have. It’s quite possible that your focus isn’t on Nikes, chains, and diamonds, but, equally shallow, it could be on, say, cars, vacations, and clothes. Every time he says, “I need”, he’s not simply saying, “I want”. He wants those things, but sort of in a metaphorical way they want him as well.
Even if you listened to the song and missed all that in the first verse, the pre-chorus makes it so clear: “I want it all, run it up, what the fuck is wrong with me? / ‘Cause I got everything and I still ain’t happy”.
Whoa. Seriously, talk about self-awareness on a such a deep issue in a person on such a high level. While everyone praises him and many dream to be him, he’s confronting the reality that all his success isn’t fulfilling. Talk about unconventional hip hop. Talk about the potential start to healing. I’ve never been in Macklemore’s shoes before, but I can imagine it’s a struggle to come to that point amidst all the contrary noise.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard a celebrity say that their success didn’t fulfill them. And if I’m being honest, I’ve largely been skeptical, or maybe inquisitive, of these statements. Like, dude, if you feel like you’ve achieved everything there is to achieve I’m pretty sure I can find another accolade for you to capture. But after experiencing the true emptiness from some of the idols in my life, I can see the transferrable understanding of vanity to the main stage.
If you don’t feel something in the chorus, you need to see a cardiologist. The artist behind this song is crying out in confusion, realizing a very deep disconnect between that which he has and his fulfillment or “freedom”.
The use of the word “need” is very interesting in this song. It’s almost like he’s trying to figure out what a need actually is. In verse 1 “needs” seem to be simple wants and in the chorus “needs” seem to be necessities for survival. Picture people in this world who don’t have their basic needs met and picture their desire for those needs. With that in mind, you’d think everyone with those met needs would be satisfied. Nope. Macklemore isn’t and you aren’t either.
He expounds on this concept by bringing relationships into the conversation in verse 2. Now this is where you’re probably very prone to judge his ridiculous fantasies, but again, this is you, too. You dream about and buy the lie of these “needs”. It’s possible that you can’t think of personal examples in this moment because a.) you just haven’t practiced that self-awareness b.) you never talk about these things with other people. They just live in your mind because if they made it into conversation, they’d be shamed to death.
In the final verse Macklemore says that, regardless of quantities, “money, power, and respect” don’t create happiness, in fact, they lie and kill you. It’s powerful and horrifically realistic how the song ends with a gunshot, insinuating hopelessness and suicide.
Obviously this song isn’t entirely Macklemore’s story because he’s about to go on tour rather than laying in a morgue. But I believe he’s writing this as a reflection of the discernment he’s realized. The lie is that you need (which is a convincing concept) more in order to be fulfilled. The truth is that the lie has the literal potential to possess and destroy you.
I love how the song leaves us hanging with no clear answer to the question of what fulfills us. Instead, you’re just left with a torn heart after hearing the 3:39 edition of a life destroyed and it leaves you asking questions. For real, I don’t want to act arrogantly enough to say that I have all the answers on this subject, but I’ll share some wisdom that I’ve recently found in the Bible:
“’Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’ What does a man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” Ecclesiastes 1:2-3
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13
That second verse may seem to miss the fulfillment target, but think about it—if God is real then He is the perfect, most secure source of our origin, purpose, and fulfillment. Everything else can fade away and we’d be just fine. Literally.
You don’t get this kind of truth in song from every hip hop artist out there, which is why I want to draw better attention to beautiful, impactful music like this. Or to put it in different words, I want to help it break through the noise…you see what I did there? To listen to more music like I NEED, stream and follow my Bars of Gold playlist on Spotify.