Aug 27, 2015 'Downtown' music video by Macklemore X Ryan Lewis feat. Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Caz, Eric Nally. Premiered on August 27, 2015. Directed by Ryan Lewis, Jason Koenig, Macklemore. Macklemore's New 'Downtown' Music Video Is the Most Insane Thing We've Ever Seen (in a Good Way) The Grammy-winning duo released their latest music vid earlier today and the clip features cameos by music stars like Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Caz and Eric Nally. Macklemore's New 'Downtown' Music Video Is the Most Insane Thing We've Ever Seen (in a Good Way) The Grammy-winning duo released their latest music vid earlier today and the clip features cameos by music stars like Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Caz and Eric Nally.
By now I'm sure you've seen Macklemore's new video for 'Downtown,' and it probably left you with a lot of questions like 'What's going on here?' and 'Is it really just about mo-peds?' I can't answer those questions, as Macklemore mystifies me, but I can tell you who about that singer on the bald eagle motorcycle chariot from the video who might not recognize. Eric Nally is the singer on Macklemore's 'Downtown', and he's from a band called Foxy Shazam.
Nally is featured in Macklemore's new video, an over-the-top West Side Story-influenced theatrical stunt, which also features along with Nally old-school hip-hop legends Grandmaster Caz, Kool Moe Dee, and Melle Mel. Nally is seen in the video as part of Macklemore's posse, leading several motorcycle chariots and looking suspiciously like Freddie Mercury, as he always does. Fitting, because Foxy Shazam, the band that Nally used to lead, was often likened to Queen for their own theatricality. They put out five full-length albums in their 10 years together. But the Cincinnati outfit disbanded in 2014 after a decade of playing together, saying they were breaking up for an 'unknown amount of time.' I wonder what Nally's former bandmates think of his new collaboration with Macklemore?
Nally, whose voice, I have to admit, is very melodious and lovely even when he is singing lyrics like 'Have you felt the warm embrace of the leather seat between your legs?' actually knows a little bit about the controversy that his new buddy Macklemore is so used to stirring up. Back in 2012, Nally got heat for the lyrics to the song 'I Like It,' the chorus of which goes 'That's the biggest black ass I've ever seen/ and I like it.'
Now that he's back in a much bigger way with Macklemore — the singer is performing 'Downtown' at Sunday, Aug. 30's MTV Video Music Awards — it could come back to haunt Nally, and Macklemore, too, who's hinted that at least one song on his new album will discuss cultural appropriation.
Girl In Macklemore Downtown Video Cast
As for whether Foxy Shazam will ever get back together, that's still up in the air.
Image: Ryan Lewis/ YouTube.
Downtown by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
Summer may be drawing to a close, but for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, it’s not too late for a breezy moped cruise–or gang showdown, for that matter–on a sunny afternoon. Their new single, “Downtown,” and it’s accompanying video is a frenetic and jubilant affair that has been stuck in my head all day. Macklemore picks up where he left off with 2013’s “Thrift Shop,” only this time it’s mopeds he’s haggling over, not cheap clothing, and when he finds the one he wants, he rides it through the wall of the store and out of sight. From there, it’s choreographed dances, leisurely cruises with the ladies, streetcorner showdowns a la West Side Story, and more over five and a half gloriously bizarre minutes.
Youtube Downtown Macklemore
Like the video, the song is scatterbrained and has a short attention span, but this, for me, is what makes it so much fun. The rap flops back and forth between Macklemore’s laidback flow and his veteran guests’ edgy gang vocals, periodically and abruptly giving way to Eric Nally’s euphoric and melodic chorus, delivered in a voice reminiscent of early 90’s Michael Jackson. The narrative element, the bizarre props, and the eclectic cast of characters make the whole thing feel more like a musical number than a song, and while I’ve always abhorred musicals, “Downtown” is possibly the most fun I’ve had with a music video this year. Even Macklemore’s critics, who seethed last year when he and Lewis won a Grammy despite accusations of cultural appropriation similar to those leveled at Iggy Azalea, will struggle not to be impressed with this one.