"Faithful" is a song by American rapper

Macklemore Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper. A native of Seattle, Washington, he started his career in 2000 as an independent artist rele ...

, released on October 28, 2022 as the third single from his third solo studio album ''

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...

'' (2023). It features American rapper

NLE Choppa Bryson LaShun Potts, (born November 1, 2002), known professionally as NLE Choppa (previously YNR Choppa), is an American rapper and songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. He gained recognition with the release of his 2019 single " Shotta Flow", ...

and was produced by Budo.

Background

Macklemore has been open with his past drug abuse and addiction, including in music. In 2020, due to social isolation during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, he relapsed and nearly died of an overdose. According to him, he wrote the song shortly after that. In an interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', Macklemore also stated his wife was integral in his decision for it to be a single. As for his collaboration with NLE Choppa, Macklemore said:

He brought the song into his world, writing from the perspective of a supportive friend and showing up in a desperate time. I thought the song would push him out of his comfort zone, but honestly he sounded right at home in the pocket and brought a whole new concept to the record. It's been refreshing spending some time with him. I'm hella impressed not only by his pen, but his perspective on life and quest for spiritual growth.

Composition

The instrumental of the song, made up of plucked synths and a theremin, has been described as "relatively restrained and upbeat". Lyrically, Macklemore discusses his personal struggles with drug abuse and addiction, and their impact on his mental health. In the first verse, he reflects on his friendships that ended early, including one with rapper

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known by the stage name Mac Miller, was an American rapper. He began his career in Pittsburgh's local hip hop music, hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of 15. In 2010, he signed ...

, who died from an overdose in 2018. Macklemore further addresses feeling abandoned, facing his inner thoughts and need for

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...

. NLE Choppa conveys a message that there is hope for any person struggling with addiction in his verse, noting he and Macklemore both have daughters they should not disappoint and also rapping about considering the effects of one's actions.

Music video

The music video was directed by John Peterson and released on November 3, 2022. It begins with Macklemore driving to and entering a cabin, where encounters a presumed demon. NLE Choppa appears at a diner.

References

{{NLE Choppa 2022 singles 2022 songs Macklemore songs NLE Choppa songs Song recordings produced by Budo (musician) Songs about drugs Songs about mental health Songs written by Budo (musician) Songs written by Macklemore Songs written by NLE Choppa