Otherside

Harmonically, the track is defined by what it borrows: Ryan Lewis loops the minor-key guitar motif from the RHCP original without substantial chord variation, creating a static, almost dirge-like backdrop. The lack of resolution or harmonic movement is a feature — it mirrors the cycle of addiction Macklemore describes and keeps all drama in the lyric, not the chord sheet.

Macklemore wrote 'Otherside' as a direct reckoning with his own drug use and with what he saw as hip-hop's casual promotion of substance abuse. The lyrics move between personal confession and cultural critique, making it one of the most candid tracks of his pre-major-label catalog.

Released on The VS. REDUX in 2009, 'Otherside' finds Macklemore dissecting his own drug use and the wider glorification of substance abuse in hip-hop. Ryan Lewis anchors the track to the melancholic RHCP sample, giving the lyrics a weight that outlasted the underground tape circuit it came from.