More than Lyrics on Macklemore's "White Privilege II"

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis recently released their second single, “White Privilege II,” from their upcoming album This Unruly Mess I Made set to be released February 26th. The song set off a wave of controversy regarding the topic: white privilege and supremacy in a country that continues to wade through shades of racism. This release occurred after the recent controversy over the all-white Oscar nominations for the four main acting categories for the second year in a row. Macklemore specifically critiques pop stars such as Miley Cyrus and Iggy Izalea, which drew further attention to its heated lyrics. However, don’t be too quick to pass off the song as another release solely for media attention. Macklemore covers a multitude of topics from fans’ subliminally racist reactions to his own songs to personal paranoia over his place in the fight for racial equality. It gives the listener a lot to digest and chew over in regards to how society handles the “race talk.” Take ten minutes out of your day, pull up the lyrics, and listen. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are spearheading new territory for hip-hop style and content similar to Kendrick Lamar – these topics need to be dug up and dealt with from their historical graves where many people pretend they’re still buried.