Macklemore recruits NLE Choppa for "FAITHFUL"

It’s been five years since Macklemore released his sophomore solo LP, Gemini, which contained 16 songs and additional assists from Skylar Grey, Lil Yachty, Offset, Kesha, and more. Since then, the Seattle talent continued to release loose cuts and freestyles like “Shadow,” “It’s Christmas Time,” “I felt like rapping…,” “Trump’s Over Freestyle,” “Next Year,” “CHANT,” and “MANIC.” He’s also contributed to quality drops from his peers, including Rudimental’s “These Days,” Martin Garrix’s “Summer Days,” and Ciara’s “I Love Myself.”

Last week, Macklemore dropped off a new single titled “FAITHFUL,” a Budo-produced offering that features Memphis star NLE Choppa. The powerful number is centered around the “Glorious” rapper’s ongoing battles with mental health and addiction:

“They say a day clean is a day won, but I’m holdin’ on, prayin’ to a god abandoned, zonin’ on the couch, starin’ at my daughters, know there’s a pill in this house that I’m obssessin’ about poppin’, reservations talkin’, the push and pull of the conscience, should probably pick up the phone and call my sponsor, but don’t wanna…”

“FAITHFUL” also boasts a matching visual courtesy of John C. Peterson. The clip begins with Macklemore driving up to and entering a cabin as a presumed demon accosts him inside. Choppa shows up at a diner for his performance while various shots of eerie imagery appear throughout.

In an Instagram post, Macklemore further explained the meaning behind the song:

“I wrote ‘FAITHFUL’ after a 2020 relapse that brought me back to a familiar darkness I naively thought I had escaped. As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be clean, and yet the disease I have is always present, it always follows me. The record explores the presence of addiction in every facet of my life, and how pervasive and insidious it can be.”

Press play on “FAITHFUL” below.