Well, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis told us their “Can’t Hold Us” video was going to be big.
On Wednesday, after something like 16 different shoots, six continents and one pizza party, the dynamic duo officially premiered the “Can’t Hold Us” clip, and, boy, does it live up to the hype. It’s a globe-spanning, wide-screen affair, the kind of vid that looks like it cost a million dollars to make … because it probably did. We follow the action across frozen tundra, deep-blue oceans, tropical jungles and modern cityscapes, ride along on boats, planes, camelback and dogsleds, watch with wide eyes as scores of dancers move in syncopated rhythm and a skydiver plummets through the air. And, of course, the whole thing ends high atop the Space Needle in Seattle, where Macklemore triumphantly raises a Heist flag over his hometown.
Sure, it’s overblown, but that’s the point. After all, Macklemore & Lewis have earned the right to make a video like this, and not just because they’ve ruled the charts with their breakout hit You get the feeling this is the kind of video Macklemore has dreamed of making for a decade now … back when he was still going by Professor and releasing EPs on his own. Now, teamed with Lewis, he finally has the means to do so, and he’s definitely taking full advantage.
Some may say the toughest thing to do is follow-up a hit, but I’d be willing to bet Mack & Lewis don’t agree with that sentiment; after all, they’ve taken the long road just to get to this point, and no matter how “Can’t Hold Us” fares (and, for the record, it seems to be doing just fine on the charts), they’ve made it to the top of the mountain already. So consider their new video to be a victory parade — a big, flashy, over-the-top one, with stunts and spectacle to spare. Hey, you can’t blame them for wanting to celebrate.
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