Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Spur (Even More) Discussion With 'White Privilege II'
January 22, 2015
Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis are really good at making music that people are going to talk about. That holds true with their newest hit "White Privilege II."
There's a lot to unpack with the nearly nine-minute song. In it, Macklemore talks about activism, appropriation of black culture, how fans responded to his songs about gay rights, his place as a white rapper broaching social issues and topics of race, and — of course — white privilege.
Responses to Macklemore's music are all over the place:
Lord knows that many white people don’t want to hear us discuss white privilege. Perhaps they’ll listen to Macklemore. All I got for now.
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) January 22, 2016
Haha. This guilt ridden ginger is hilariously pathetic. Where does this type of ridiculous self loathing come from? https://t.co/2FHHeON5Wz
— Anthony Cumia (@AnthonyCumia) January 22, 2016
I think that Macklemore's latest song, White Privilege II, is powerful, important, & necessary. It, like all art, is also open to critique.
— deray mckesson (@deray) January 22, 2016
This is just a small sample, but it is, more or less, how some people are feeling about "White Privilege II" — which is incredibly ripe for discussion.
It should be noted Macklemore dropped "White Privilege," the predecessor to this latest track, more than 10 years ago.
