Macklemore and DJ Premier Collab on “Heroes”

Macklemore and DJ Premier released the video for their latest song “Heroes” on the 20th of January. The duo have previously collaborated  before on tracks such as “Free” and “Buckshot”. The song is the first that Macklemore has released in this calendar year. “Heroes’ ‘ is the first single off of the rapper’s album, Ben, which is set to be released on March.3. The album will be Macklemore’s first album in seven years, following 2017’s Gemini.

Benjamin Hammon Hagerty, better known by his stage name of Macklemore is a Seattle native. Starting to write his own lyrics from 15, Macklemore would go on to emerge as a face in the 2010s hip hop scene. He is famous for his work with producer Ryan Lewis, with their duo being dubbed as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. They would release two albums together to much commercial success. Macklemore has released two solo albums without Lewis, the last being 2017’s Gemini.  

DJ Premier is considered to be one of the greatest producers in hip hop. Like Macklemore, he was also in a rap duo, when he was one half of Gang Starr with rapper Guru. The list of artists DJ Premier has produced songs for is long and extensive. Some of his clientele include Mos Def, Nas and The Notorious B.I.G. 

The instrumental of “Heroes” is bold, brass and in your face. It is reminiscent of older hip hop, something you would find yourself hearing in a 90s New York rap song. Macklemore talks about his heroes in the song, naming artists from NWA to DJ Quik. He repeatedly tells us his heroes are different from ours. Not only was he inspired to make music, but he also wanted to live the gangster lifestyle that was portrayed in the songs that he was listening to.

The music video is shot in New York and shows us numeruous shots of the people and the city. In between these we get short burts of Macklemore rapping and DJ Premier spinning a table. The video is shot fully in black and white.

Macklemore’s newest album releases on March 3. He will go on a tour to support it for which you find tickets on his website. 

Macklemore: Instagram Spotify

DJ Premier: Instagram Spotify