Macklemore’s first single from his upcoming album was a downtempo fatherhood jam, and struck the world oddly as a follow-up to “Thrift Shop” level spunkiness. Now he’s back in full-corn form with “Downtown,” and he’s brought along rap forefathers Grandmaster Caz, Kool Moe Dee, and Melle Mel for one hell of a funked up ride through larger than life retro stylings. Mack also recruited Foxy Shazam’s Eric Nally on the song’s infectious hook on the track, which reportedly took over a year to complete.
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In between a narrative about buying a moped and sneaking girls in backstage it’s a hat-tip to West Coast G-funk, like “Uptown Funk” without trying to appeal to your grandmother & little sister. And is that Ken Griffey Jr. we see? Watch the badass video below.
Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and the song’s featured artists are expected to perform “Downtown” for the first time at the VMAs this Sunday.
