Mueller: How to approach Macklemore’s new song, ‘White Privilege II’

Corey Mueller, Columnist

About two weeks ago, Macklemore released a song called “White Privilege II.”

I have had a lot of time to think about this song and I have struggled with it. Macklemore dropped this song right before Black History Month, which begs the question of what his intention is with the song.

I am not going to explain why Macklemore deserves to be respected as an artist — most would say he does not. That is mostly because he is not that talented of a rapper, showcased by his inability to stay on beat and his simple rhythm.  

So what is the message of this song? It is one of frustration: He does not know where he stands in hip-hop, in society, in social justice movements. He is trying to say something. But it is hard for him because he has benefitted from the appropriation of black culture without having to face any of the struggles that created this music in the first place.

He does not have the answers, though. And neither do I. Macklemore is a white male, taking up space in an arena where he is not comfortable. I am also a white male, taking up space where someone else probably could, and should, address this issue much better than me.

Sure, I can tell you about the housing discrimination that happened in Detroit because I took a history class on the Civil Rights Movement, but that does not mean either Macklemore or I could tell you what racism feels like, what it looks like, how it affects us every day.

But ask a person of color those same questions, and I will almost guarantee they will have too many stories from which to choose. And that is what Macklemore is asking us to do. To start some conversations.

Not only is he uncomfortable, but Macklemore also feels guilty for being there at all. He raps, “I’ve heard that silences are action and God knows that I’ve been passive. / What if I actually read a article, actually had a dialogue / Actually looked at myself, actually got involved?”

And it looks like that is exactly what he is trying to do. He is telling us that it is important for white people to talk to each other about race.

And believe me, this is nothing new. People of color have been saying the same thing for more than a century.

The NAACP has had the same objective for nearly 107 years: “to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of (the) United States and eliminate race prejudice.” The organization has been fighting for this equality more than three times as long as 32-year-old Macklemore has been alive.

So do I really believe Macklemore thinks he is saying anything new? Not a chance. But I do not think he is claiming to say anything new. It is almost like he is out there saying, ‘This is an issue that I am now willing to take on and learn about.’

This is growth. In his 2012 song “A Wake,” Macklemore had the following four lines: “Don’t even tweet, R.I.P Trayvon Martin / Don’t wanna be that white dude, million man marchin’ / Fighting for our freedom that my people stole / Don’t wanna make all my white fans uncomfortable.”

Macklemore shared in an interview with Rolling Stone that another hip-hop artist, who he would not name, was the person who told him he was being silent after the Darren Wilson non-indictment. Macklemore went to march with protesters in Seattle and ended up making the news for it, but the anonymous artist told Macklemore he needed to engage his audience along with being present.

In the past four years, something has changed, though, as Macklemore now wants to talk about race, to engage with it. Maybe it is because Black Lives Matter movement has also now been around for a few years. Maybe it is because Black Lives Matter leaders like DeRay McKesson now go on shows such as “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” to address how white people can identify their privilege and what they can do about it. Maybe hashtagging the names of people of color who die at the hands of police has made people sick of seeing injustice and discrimination on their social media.  

From the #SayHerName movement in response to the death of Sandra Bland to posts about the recent case of 16-year-old Gynnya McMillen, the new names constantly appearing on my timeline have left me mentally exhausted. And social media is just one of the ways that activists are attempting — and succeeding — to educate part of the population.

Whatever the reason may be, some change is happening, and involvement from public figures is important in continuing to move forward.

So, like Macklemore says, maybe white people should engage in those conversations that have been avoided for so long. We need to take advantage of this month of celebrations and remembrances and pay attention. And when the end of February hits, we need to continue the dialogues.

Moving forward, we, white folks, should not take credit for the ideas of people of color and should actually contribute to the conversation with both people who look like us and people who don’t.

Corey Mueller is a Medill sophomore. He can be contacted at [email protected].  If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected].

The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.