âI want to take a stance because we are not free/and then I thought about it/we are not we/am I on the outside looking in/or am I in the inside looking out/is it my place to give my two cents/or should I stand on the side and shut my mouth?â âMacklemore
Those words have been a heavy topic of discussion over the past week since Macklemore & Ryan Lewis dropped âWhite Privilege II,â a nearly nine-minute opus addressing his position in mainstream Hip Hop, racism and the Black Lives Matter movement. In the song, he slams Iggy Azalea, Miley Cyrus and even Elvis, using them as examples of artists who have benefited from cultural appropriation. On the other hand, he attempts to take responsibility for his own role in the grand scheme of things, suggesting he feels guilt from being able to benefit from the color of his skin.
Legendary emcee and pioneer of Hip Hop culture Big Daddy Kane has always been supportive of Macklemore, ever since he helped orchestrate Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz and Kool Moe Deeâs roles in Macklemoreâs song/video for âDowntown,â released in August 2015. In an exclusive interview for The Source, the Long Live the Kane mastermind discusses white privilege, not discrediting Macklemore and why the pioneers deserve respect no matter how theyâre introduced to younger generations.
The Source: Macklemoreâs âWhite Privilege IIâ has been in the headlines a lot recently. What are your feelings on the song?
Big Daddy Kane: To be honest with you, I only heard it once. From what I was hearing, I wasnât crystal clear on what he was saying. To me, it sounded like if he was condemning the white privilege; the privileges white people have in Hip Hop. It kind of sounded like that, but then again, because heâs a clever thinker, it could be the type of thing where heâs spoofing what Black America thinks of white artists. It could have been that. Iâm not really sure what he meant by it.
There are a lot of mixed emotions. Some people are saying itâs him just further capitalizing on the Black Lives Matter movement, but there are other people who think itâs brave and glad heâs using his platform to address such issues.
Itâs like this. In all actuality, if youâre white then yes, you have white privilege. Itâs there for the taking if you choose to use it, you know, just keeping it 100. With that being said though, I mean thatâs no reason to look down on white people in society. Itâs a reason to look down on the laws of this country because thatâs the way its structured and the way these people work. Itâs like this, you can go to a city that has a predominately Black police force and because theyâre told these are the people to profile, a Black person can be profiled by their own race. Theyâre told these are the people to profile. Itâs like do white privilege exist? Absolutely. In the case of passing judgment, you have to make sure that youâre passing judgement on the right person.
I like that.
There are white people that know their advantages over a Black person or any other minority over this country and they are taking advantage of it. Then thereâs also some white people that will use their so-called white privilege to help a Black person.
I hope I fall in that latter category. When I was little, my parents taught me never to see in color. I am probably going to get s*it from someone for saying that, but thatâs just how I am. Makes me happy to support Hip Hop no matter what color you are. Just be a good person.
I completely agree. I donât think there has ever been a form of music that was created for a particular race. Even like when you listen to Asian music, they singing in Chinese, but I donât think itâs just meant for the Chinese, you know?
Hip Hop was birthed out of diverse culture, was it not? I mean it started with toasting in Jamaica, then Kool Herc brought it from Jamaica to New York and boom, this cultural explosion.
If you go back and talk to people like DJ Hollywood, people like Afrika Bambaataa, people like Melle Mel, even Crazy Legs, theyâll tell you thereâs always been white people involved in Hip Hop. There were white break dancers. One of the first Hip Hop clubs, Disco Fever, was started by a white man name Sal Abbatiello in the Bronx. Thereâs always been white people involved in Hip Hop. Itâs not like itâs something just for Black people. Thereâs been Blacks, Latinos and white people, all types of people always involved.
I watched an interview with you where you were saying you didnât even think to do that back in the day, you know, bring out the Melle Mels, Kool Moe Dees or other pioneers of the culture, but here Macklemore comes along and blows people away. You thought his heroes would be Tupac and Biggie, but he took it back to the beginning. Have you embraced him in a sense because of this?
Absolutely. Caz is like my hero. Caz, Melle Mel and Kool Moe Dee; those dudes are my heroes. To see them shine, I think thatâs beautiful. At this point in their career, I think itâs just wonderful. Itâs such a beautiful, powerful move and Iâve very happy for them. If someone else is going to come alongâitâs like you donât understand what youâre doing, discrediting Macklemore. Youâre taking away from Moe, Melle Mel and Cazâs shine. If youâre going to sit there and say that someone else is doing something just to gain credibility in Hip Hop, youâre belittling them. Youâre turning into a hypocrite. Isnât it kind of hypocritical of you to try to destroy the shine these brothers havenât had since the â80s? Like Caz has never had?
If you support the culture so much then why would you do that to them?
Exactly. Itâs like this, I can even respect someone that said, âI only listened to the song to hear Mel, Caz and Moe. F*ck Macklemore.â If thatâs what you want to say, Iâm cool with it. If youâve got something against him as an artist, cool, butâŠ
Donât take it away from the pioneers.
Exactly.