New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Girlie Action Media & Marketing) Seattle MC
Macklemore and his producer/DJ Ryan Lewis have released the riveting and heartfelt video for "Wings," which premiered over at XXL Magazine's homepage yesterday. On the track
Macklemore raps in his distinctly soulful and raspy tone, crafting a vivid narrative that transforms into a mini-epic over Lewis' cinematic production. Since teaming up two years ago, the pair have been on a non-stop tear, garnering critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase through a series of self-released projects. They now have multiple songs with over 1 million views on YouTube, and last year's VS (Redux)EP landed at No 7 on theiTunes Hip Hop charts.
"You'll remember his music forever after just one listen"- Seattle Times
"One of my favorite artists right now"- Kevin Cole, KEXP
Additionally, the duo's highly praised live shows have led to performances at places like the Rock The Bells Tour, Fader Fort at SXSW, Sasquatch Festival, and Outside Lands. Macklemore and Lewis are now one of the premiere hip hop acts out of the Pacific Northwest, and with the release of the "Wings" video, are on the brink of their national breakthrough.
Read more about the making of and meaning behind "Wings" below:
WINGS
Written by Macklemore
Produced by Ryan Lewis
Directed by Zia Mohajerjasbi
What began with a glance into a closet full of Nike Air Jordan's, eventually became something else all together: A powerful story about American youth and their struggle to find their way in a culture dominated by consumerism, obsession, and wanting to "Be like Mike".
"When I first started writing it, I didn't really have the right idea. Am I writing it like "I'm so cool, I have all of these Jordan's?" Am I writing about Nike and an anti-Nike song? In reality, it's neither one of those, it's just about sharing a fresh perspective", says Macklemore.
Macklemore's realization evolved into lyrics, then into song, and recently into a truly stunning visual narrative. Along the way, there were late night studio sessions, a children's choir, aKickstarter.com campaign, and an extensive video production.
The song was produced by Ryan Lewis, who laid the musical foundation to WINGS knowing that it would eventually be accompanied by a visual component. He explains, "Going into make it, it always felt like I was creating a film score". Lewis's point becomes obvious once you listen. Musically, WINGS is larger than life. Powerful strings, piano, horns, and a middle school children's chorus lend the song a cinematic feel and accomplish exactly what Lewis intended.
Seattle director Zia Mohajerjasbi, who came up with the video's concept and storyboard, spent tireless hours working carefully to re-create scenes from Nike's famous Mars Blackmon campaign starring Spike Lee. Those iconic images were combined with a riveting narrative following a young man's obsession with Air Jordan and his quest to fit in. The director filmed the piece as if he was creating a piece of cinema, and it shows.
WINGS was a true collaboration not only between these three talented artists and the dozens of volunteers who spent hours on the project from start to finish, but also between the passionate fans that donated their hard-earned cash to bring the piece to life. Thanks to everyone involved, WINGS is now complete and ready to be shared with the world.
