On Friday, Macklemore dropped his new single, “White Privilege II,” featuring Jamila Woods, addressing the guilt he feels when he thinks of the ways he could be supporting #BlackLivesMatter and other activists’ fight against the police brutality that continues to ravage the country–especially black people. “We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives?” raps Macklemore on the deeply introspective, cinematic song, which is produced by his trusted sonic professor, Ryan Lewis.
On the song, Macklemore–a native of Seattle and a 4-time Grammy winner–draws a parallel between Iggy Azalea and Miley Cyrus, and Elvis, as people that have mercilessly robbed black culture with little or no intention of supporting or contributing back to it. Iggy caught wind of the diss almost immediately, and chose to duck the accusation, opting instead to criticize Macklemore’s amicable nature in past meetings, which he, according to Iggy, shouldn’t have had if he felt this way about the Australian entertainer.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Macklemore addresses exactly what his intentions were behind calling out two of the most popular pop artists in the country, and lumping them together in the same negative light he was portraying Elvis Presley in.
For me, that second verse is unpacking. It’s an unpacking moment of internalized criticism and self-doubt, and ‘What have I done,’ and letting the criticism infiltrate who I am. ‘Why am I insecure at a protest?’ And I think that people get put into boxes, and the conversation around cultural appropriation — I was at the forefront of that, rightfully so. And that conversation also included Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea, and that’s why their names are on the record.
He also elaborated on exactly what prompted him to write the record.
It was the night of Darren Wilson’s non-indictment, and I remember streaming it, watching the non-indictment, and feeling sick, physically sick, frustrated and angry. I got in my car, and I drove by these people assembled outside of the police precinct.
You can read the full interview here, and prepare for Macklemore’s first album in nearly 4 years, This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, which arrives next month.
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