Seattle rap export Macklemore is someone that is charitably referred to as “divisive.” That’s essentially code for “some people think he’s good, some people think he sucks, and some people think he sucks but wish the guy no specific harm.” Macklemore is someone that inspires opinions even if a good chunk of ’em are just a dismissive fart noise blown into someone’s arm.
Last week, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released a much fussed over track titled “White Privilege II.” As you may have gathered from the title, the song is a sequel to a previous work (see: 2005’s “White Privilege”) and addresses the subject of (surprise!) white privilege. It’s an element of our current cultural/political/historical landscape that Macklemore has often been pointed to as a poster boy for and it’s something he addresses on a track that nearly clocks in at nine minutes in length.
Naturally, the track and the man at the center of it have generated a wide range of opinions, tweets, thinkpieces, hot takes, and every other form of weighing in out there. We want to get you up to speed on what’s going on in the track, the other recording artists namechecked on it, and the reaction “White Privilege II” has generated since its January 22 debut. Hit play on the video above and sound off in the comments.
