After a year full of racial tensions in the United States and weeks of conversation about race in hip-hop, one previously silent major player in the game is speaking out: Macklemore. Yesterday (Dec. 30), the "Thrift Shop" rapper and Gramy winner appeared on Ebro in the Morning on Hot 97 to discuss race, recent police shootings and the role of white people in rap.
Responding to recent controversies between Iggy Azalea (another white rapper nominated for Grammys) and Azealia Banks, Macklemore acknowledged that his race has helped to play a role in his pop music success.
"Why am I safe? Why can I cuss on a record, have a parental advisory sticker on the cover of my album, yet parents are still like, 'You're the only rap I let my kids listen to.' Why can I wear a hoodie and not be labeled a thug? Why can I sag my pants and not be a gangbanger. Why am I on Ellen's couch and Good Morning America? If I was black, what would my drug addiction look like? It would be twisted into something else versus maybe, 'Get back on your feet!'" he said. "The privilege that exists in the music industry is just a greater symptom of the privilege that exists in America. There's no difference. This is just a byproduct."
Macklemore also admitted that, as a white man, he needs to recognize his place in hip-hop and that it's something he's cognizant of.
"You need to know your place in the culture. Are you contributing or are you taking? Are you using it for your own advantage or are you contributing? I saw a tweet that said, 'Hip-hop was birthed out of the civil rights movement.' This is a culture that came from pain and oppression. It was the byproduct," he said. "Just because there's been more successful white rappers, you cannot disregard where this culture came from and our place in it as white people. This is not my culture to begin with. As much as I have honed my craft, I do believe that I need to know my place."
The full interview -- which logs in at over an hour -- is an honest, open look at a white person in hip-hop and worth a listen.
Check out the full discussion below, wherein Macklemore also discusses his relationship with Kendrick Lamar, what his niece listens to and his experience with "Same Love."
