Macklemore's rhymes will pump up hometown crowd

Hip-hop has long been a Quadstock staple, and this year's event will continue the trend of bringing great MCs to campus with hometown heroes Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

Born and raised on Capitol Hill, Macklemore is a local hip-hop legend with an undeniable talent for wordplay and a dazzling stage presence. He's the kind of artist who opens shows and upstages headliners with his thumping beats and powerful lyrics. His flow is smooth but fierce, his rhymes are tight and pointed and his sets are always high-octane.

Mack's been kicking around the 206 hip-hop scene for the last seven years, and he's shared stages with acts like Common Market and Blue Scholars. But his style is one of a kind. He draws on disparate musical influences that range from old school hip-hop and rap to contemporary indie rock. His most recent release, "the Vs. EP," is a collaboration with fellow Seattleite Ryan Lewis pitting Mack's flow over Lewis's beats that contain samples of songs by Beirut, Arcade Fire, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more.

Sometimes it's hard to dominate a stadium-style stage when you're an MC, but Mack's presence is totally spellbinding. When he steps on stage, it's all eyes on him, and he commands the floor for as long as he's on it. And Lewis infuses the DJ booth with an asset severely lacked by many modern producers: on-stage energy.

Mack's music is nothing if not full of hometown pride; his single "The Town" talks up Seattle as the greatest city on earth. And hearing him do the track live, you'll believe him when he sings "The skyline is etched in my veins / You can never put that out, no matter how hard it rains."

Matthew may be reached at copy@su-spectator.com