It's the kind of dilemma most artists would kill to have.

Actually, it's one that no other artist has ever had before: what song to play when you're performing on your third MTV awards show of the year.

After rocking the MTV Movie Awards and mtvU Woodie Awards, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis had to come up with a new song to play for Sunday night's 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

So, they picked their marriage equality anthem [article id="1712459"]"Same Love"[/article]? because they didn't want to repeat themselves, but more importantly because they think it's a song that's perfect for these times.

"'Same Love' has turned into a song that has been embraced by the mainstream and that was played by the radio," Macklemore told MTV News on Saturday (August 24) after the duo's rehearsal for the big show. "There is a lot more people that are familiar with it now than six months ago and the timing is perfect. It's a powerful record and it needs to be heard in America right now. And equality is at the forefront of what's going on in politics right now."

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That strong message will beam out on a night when Mack & Lewis are up for six awards, the highest total of the night, tying them with another of the evening's performers, Justin Timberlake. On the night they make their VMA debut, they'll join a superstar roster that also includes Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Drake, Robin Thicke and Bruno Mars.

The emotional "Same Love" video, which is up for Best Video With a Social Message VMA, is one of the first mainstream hip-hop songs to take on the issue and that's something Macklemore said he's really proud of.

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"It's a song that I wanted to write because I felt like it wasn't being addressedwithin hip-hop music," he said. "And I think that the homophobia was still very rampant within hip-hop culture." The best part for Mack is that not only has the song garnered support and given the group a top 20 single (it's currently at #14) after two #1s, but it has also drawn support from the general public and the hip-hop community.

"The performance is going to be hopefully memorable," said Macklemore. "Hopefully we will be in the present moment. We will capture some magic on the stage that will be transmitted to the televisions of the world."

The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards air live on Sunday, August 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn!