When Macklemore and Ryan Lewis triumphed at the 2014 Grammys, the hip-hop duo stunned much of the music industry through a gesture rarely seen in the vain celebrity world — apologising, with evident s
When Macklemore and Ryan Lewis triumphed at the 2014 Grammys, the hip-hop duo stunned much of the music industry through a gesture rarely seen in the vain celebrity world — apologising, with evident sincerity, for winning.
Macklemore, who is white, made public a text message he sent to Kendrick Lamar, saying the rising African American star had been “robbed” for losing to the duo for Best Rap Album.
The second album by rapper Macklemore and producer Lewis — “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made,” released on Friday — is in some ways an hour-long extension of the sentiments behind that text message, expanded to reflect on the state of an America wrestling with questions of racism and inequality.
While many rappers are infamous for their lyrical boasts of personal greatness, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have instead crafted a style that is essentially anti-braggadocio, with the duo consumed by self-doubt.
On White Privilege II, Macklemore — who has emerged as the most critically acclaimed white rapper after Eminem — speaks of his mixed emotions as he joins a rally following the 2014 shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
“My success is the product of the same system that let off Darren Wilson,” Macklemore raps, referring to the white officer exonerated in Brown’s killing.
We want to dress like, walk like, talk like, dance like, yet we just stand by / We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives
Macklemore accuses by name two white stars, Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea, of exploitation of black culture in the song, which at nearly nine minutes runs far too long for standard radio airplay.
In the song, he wonders whether it is appropriate to speak at the rally. Taking his inner debate to another degree, Macklemore has publicly questioned whether he should have written White Privilege II at all.
The layered reflection contrasts with the more earnest advocacy in the duo’s 2012 signature song, Same Love, which became an anthem in the campaign for gay marriage equality.
Macklemore is acutely aware of the paradox, wondering on the latest album whether Same Love made the duo appear safe to white listeners who might instinctively sense danger from African American rappers.
