Macklemore & Ryan Lewis is a world phenomenon

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Rappers & hip-hop crew Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are shooting up the charts with their hit songs Can't Hold Us (featuring Ray Dalton), as well as their catchy anthem Thrift Shop. But it was their equality anthem Same Love, that put them way in front of the rest in their league.“I wrote the song shortly after Obama came out in support of gay marriage. Then Frank Ocean came out. It seemed like time was of the essence. It was never about being the first rapper to publicly support the issue, but at the same time you don't want the song's power to become diluted because all of the sudden it's a bandwagon issue. I knew I wanted to write the song since 2011, I just couldn't figure out the perspective.” We see that best on "Same Love" as he compellingly relates how when he was in the third grade he came to the conclusion he was gay because he could draw, kept his room clean and had an uncle who was in a same-sex relationship. His mother reassured him he was not, but it's still a discussion you won't find many other MCs leading, even in the post-Frank Ocean age. He thinks the song's cultural impact shows how much the notoriously homophobic hip-hop world has changed in recent years. He told HitFix, "I hope we're part of that transformation," Macklemore said. "I don't think a song like 'Same Love' would have been received the same way even five years ago. We as a society and a culture have proven throughout time that we evolve, that we become slowly more compassionate and tolerant and accepting. The last couple hundred years in American culture have shown that. Obviously, there's give and take. There's times when we haven't and times that we lose ourselves, but I do think we're evolving as a society and hip-hop is a reflection of that." Macklemore, you did the gay community proud with the anthem!