Macklemore's "White Privilege II"

Macklemore recently, as in January 22nd, released a record entitled "White Privilege II," which is a 9 minute song whose goal is to the answer the age old question "What is the role of a white person in the struggle of black people fighting injustice?" (NPR)

This record by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis cycles through monologues, rapping and even outside people telling stories. This combination takes away the feeling of a nine minute song. I did not feel that it was that long. The song really takes the listener on a journey trying to understand Macklemore's inner fight with injustice, and connects to a lot of people, especially white people.

The record is certainly going to produce some controversy in the media, which I would think is one if the goals of the record. Artists do not usually step into waters that are unknown to them in such a bold way as Macklemore. One of the verses that Macklemore raps is:

There's no way for you to even that out You can join the march, protest, scream and shout Get on Twitter, hashtag and seem like you're down But they see through it all, people believe you now

Here, he is talking about the uncertainty and ingenuity when white people support campaigns such as Black Lives Matter. Many celebrities will take to social media to support a cause, such an equality for all, but how much do they really support that cause? Is the best support simply posting words to Twitter? These are the issues that I think Macklemore is trying to address in this record, and they are issues that he does not have the answer to.

At this time, I think our culture views hip hop in a different light than back in its origins. Although it is an industry primarily dominated by black artists there are white artists like Macklemore who create award winning records. The goal of the genre of hip hop is still the same though, artists are speaking to the troubles of their time, and one thing that has yet to change is the injustice that black people face in the United States. Repression & white privilege is still prevalent in 2016.

Another quote in this record that really connected with me was:

White supremacy isn't just a white dude in Idaho White supremacy protects the privilege I hold White supremacy is the soil, the foundation, the cement and the flag that flies outside of my home White supremacy is our country's lineage, designed for us to be indifferent

This verse is very important to the song. I shows the listener that White supremacy is something that is stereotyped as well. There is no simple answer to what White supremacy is, and no clear solution. For an individual or a nation to overcome something like white supremacy, there needs to be change in its roots.

Attached is a video of the record. Give it a listen!

Also, great article from NPR:

http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2016/01/22/463953714/macklemores-new-song-is-the-nine-minute-white-privilege-ii?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nprmusic&utm_term=music&utm_content=20160122

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