Macklemore’s newest single is currently the topic of everyone’s conversation. One person who spoke directly to the Seattle rapper about his polarizing new track “White Privilege II” after hearing it was prominent activist Deray McKesson.
Collaborating with his music partner, Ryan Lewis and poet meets singer-songwriter Jamila Woods, Macklemore addresses #BlackLivesMatter, police brutality amongst miniorites, and cultural appropriation on his new single. Mixed reviews surrounded the nine-minute song after its release, with some people expressing the track was just another expression of “white guilt.”
Immediately after Mackelmore dropped the controversial single, McKesson took to Twitter to reveal he and Macklemore spoke for an hour via phone to discuss the context and true meaning behind his new song. “I DM’d him asking if he’d be down to talk. We talked for an hour this morning,” Mckesson stated. “As I’ve said from the beginning, I think Macklemore’s song is important. And all art, including his song, is open to critique…We talked about the impetus for the song & he noted that it was Darren Wilson’s non-indictment & the protests that pushed him to write…& Macklemore understands that awareness is the beginning, not the end, of the work. He will be (rightly) judged by the actions that follow.” McKesson went on to say, “This song is continuing to bring awareness to the issue of white privilege and its impact.”
Form your own opinions after listening to Macklemore’s newest single and be sure to read DeRay McKesson’s tweets of his conversation with the “Thrift Shop” rapper below.
“When I first heard Macklemore’s new song, White Privilege II, I DM’d him asking if he’d be down to talk. We talked for an hour this morning.”
— deray mckesson (@deray) January 23, 2016
“As I’ve said from the beginning, I think Macklemore’s song is important. And all art, including his song, is open to critique. “— deray mckesson (@deray) January 23, 2016
“We talked about the impetus for the song & he noted that it was Darren Wilson’s non-indictment & the protests that pushed him to write.”
— deray mckesson (@deray) January 23, 2016
“& Macklemore understands that awareness is the beginning, not the end, of the work. He will be (rightly) judged by the actions that follow.” — deray mckesson (@deray) January 23, 2016
“In our convo, I got the sense that Macklemore is using this song both to process a complex idea & to push folks to think/act differently.”
— deray mckesson (@deray) January 23, 2016
“& we talked about how the very privileging of whiteness he addresses creates imbalanced exposure for a message many have said before.”
— deray mckesson (@deray) January 23, 2016
“I left the call with Macklemore w/ a deeper understanding of his intent and his commitment to actions that reflect his awareness.”
— deray mckesson (@deray) January 23, 2016
“And Macklemore’s song is not above critique, he knows this. It should be critically engaged. All art should be critically engaged.”
— deray mckesson (@deray) January 23, 2016
