Poetry for Our Time

A post and video by Beacon Reporter and English major Will Lyons who last year had the opportunity to interview hip-hop artist Macklemore.  Macklemore is performing at The Crystal Ballroom Thursday, October 11th at 8 p.m.  For more information about tickets and times visit http://www.mcmenamins.com/events/104967-The-Heist-World-Tour

“Sometimes opportunity slaps you in the face. As a reporter for the UP Beacon some interesting stories have come across my desk, but none quite like the chance to interview Ben Haggerty, better known by his stage name “Macklemore.”

The rapper and his electro-music producer Ryan Lewis rocked The Bluff in a concert put on by the Campus Program Board on April 14th 2012. I had the opportunity to ask him whatever I wanted before he took the stage in the Chiles Center and edited the
Macklemore’s music is the poetry of our time. In an age where for most rappers the words ‘poetry’ and ‘rap’ could not be more distant, his voice speaks truth, or at least makes a statement. Each song on his new album, ‘The Heist,’ takes on a different social issue (although there are some fun ones in there too).footage for you here.

He writes about gay marriage, consumerism, greed, corruption, apathy, technology overload, the government and the anomaly that is his career. He is one of the few truly independent artists (aka not signed to a record label) to reach the coveted ‘#1 on iTunes’ spot.

As I begin my career as a journalist, Ben Haggerty is the first person for whom I’ll say, ‘I interviewed him before…’”

–Will Lyons, junior English major

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncegof9Y1DM