Macklemore infamously called out fellow pop-rapper Iggy Azalea on his new This Unruly Mess I've Made track "White Privilege II." Calling out singers who overtake black culture for white audiences, he rapped, "You're Miley, you're Elvis, you're Iggy Azalea." And now, in a new interview the "Downtown" rapper reveals he maybe should have warned his fellow emcee before releasing the track.
The sprawling nine-minute "White Privilege II" features Macklemore unpacking his own privileges in society in the middle of police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. Though he contemplates a lot of topics in the song, that one line in particular got attention, causing Azalea to call him out on Twitter.
@lggysBae he shouldnt have spent the last 3 yrs having friendly convos and taking pictures together at events etc if those were his feelings
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) January 22, 2016
And now, speaking to Billboard for its new cover issue, the Seattle emcee admitted that he has not spoken to Azalea since releasing the track and said that he should have let her know about the song lyrics in advance. However, he also maintains the lyric is misinterpreted.
"I don't think people understood that I'm in my own head [saying], 'You're Miley, you're Elvis, you're Iggy Azalea' -- I'm talking about myself," Macklemore said. "Iggy and I came up together. We were on the XXL 'Freshmen' cover together. There's enough of a relationship that I should have let her know beforehand. And I didn't do that."
But what about that other famous white rapper whom Macklemore failed to mention? Yes, according to him even Eminem is a major benefactor to white privilege.
"He's a white person who raps. I think regardless of where you come from or how amazing you are, you're still a white person appropriating a black art form," he said.
