If you haven't yet, watch Macklemore's newest video Drug Dealer. If you were able to see him on campus last year you'll see why this is something not unusual but very normal for him.

While the emotion he shows in this video is not the same as his other videos that make a statement like Same Love, Neon Cathedral, White Privilege II, he still makes a comment on a social issue we're currently dealing with here in the United States of America.

A little background on Macklemore for anyone who may not know much about him. He was a drug addict when he first started his career because that was the normal thing for rappers (he shared this at his concert on campus last year plus he was the host of a documentary about drug addicts). He got clean because he couldn't make music that way no matter how much he tried. With the success of his newest album and winning the rapper of the year award, he actually relapsed and about ruined his marriage. For the moment I do not know if he is clean or not.

So here's why we need more rappers like Macklemore and yes I do know there are those who do rap about social issues like drugs but here's what sets him apart. He makes it very obvious what he is trying to bring to light. Same Love is about same-sexI marriage and how it does not affect heterosexual individuals at all. Drug Dealer makes a comment on Big Pharmacy and the drug issue, that tends to start with prescription drugs, here in the United States. He makes these points obvious. Other rappers such as Lamar sing/rap about these issues but do not make it explicitly obvious because they want their songs to succeed.

Drug Dealer kind of hit me in a way that while I'm not an addict makes me grieve for those who have lost a family member to overdoses. So many people believe addiction is not a mental illness or disease but quite frankly it is. Yes, people make a choice but sometimes that choice is life or death because many addiction cases start at the medical level. They're prescribed painkillers, usually narcotics, which are very addictive and once they can't get any more refills they may turn to other drugs to get the same high. Drug dealer hits on this by pretty much calling out the industry in general. Some doctors have their heads in the right place and will watch what they prescribe and how many refills a patient gets, but many doctors don't which results in addictions.

The thing with addiction is that it is a mental illness that could be passed on, hence why some may be more susceptible to alcoholism if they have a parent that is an alcoholic. Actions are to be accounted for but some have more addictive qualities than others. Ever see someone be able to smoke socially but outside of those situations they don't? They may not have issues with becoming reliant on an addictive substance but others may. People with addiction need treatment but we also need to go to the level that is making people start to use drugs and I really think that is what Macklemore is trying to get at.

So think what you will but please watch this music video. You can tell he is passionate about this along with many other songs of his and Ryan Lewis's.