After dropping the sanguine "Growing Up," Macklemore & Ryan Lewis flip the script with a new track "Downtown" that goes in all in with an '80s hip hop aesthetic -- old school flow, stripped down funky percussion, ample cowbell, and even features from Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, & Grandmaster Caz, all of whom are founding fathers of the genre.
Despite the record's title, it is one part "Uptown Funk" mixed with one part "Thrift Shop," although it abruptly blossoms into a anthemic bridge with floral trumpet lines and triumphant guitar that give off a distinct U2 vibe.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will perform "Downtown" at the MTV VMAs Sunday night. Share your thoughts in the comments.
Quotable Lyrics
Head into the dealership and drop a stack and cop a Kawasaki
I'm stunting on everybody
Hella raw, pass the wasabi
I'm so low that my cajones dragging on the concrete
My seat is leather, bottom line it's pleather
But girl, we could still ride together
