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Macklemore Goes Solo For 'Glorious' Return

Macklemore, "Glorious."
Courtesy of the artist
Macklemore, "Glorious."

For more than half a decade Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have been an inseparable creative duo, racking up record sales and Grammy awards. But the premiere of "Glorious" — the first single from Macklemore's new, unnamed album — comes today with news that the Seattle rapper's next release will be a solo effort.

It's not a permanent divorce, but a temporary separation. The amicable split follows their 2015 release, This Unruly Mess I've Made. Failing to score gold sales, it fell far short of their platinum-selling 2012 debut The Heist. Macklemore explained the reasoning via Instagram:

"After the last tour, Ryan and I agreed that some creative space would be good for the both of us. Ryan Lewis is my brother forever. We have been working together damn near every day for 9 years and it felt like the right time. This decision came from a place of love for one another. I'm the best man at his wedding next month. There will be more M&RL music to come when the time is right."

"Glorious" features Skylar Grey singing the hook of a motivational anthem produced by Budo and Tyler Dopps. "It felt like the right record to come back with," Macklemore writes. "Embarking on this new chapter of life."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Rodney Carmichael is NPR Music's hip-hop staff writer. An Atlanta-bred cultural critic, he helped document the city's rise as rap's reigning capital for a decade while serving on staff as music editor, culture writer and senior writer for the defunct alt-weekly Creative Loafing.