Macklemore talked to #BlackLivesMatter's Deray McKesson about 'White Privilege II'

"Macklemore understands that awareness is the beginning, not the end, of the work."

Jan 23, 2016

Image via Getty Images

Image via Getty Images

Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson had an hour-long conversation with Seattle rapper Macklemore about his polarizing new song, “White Privilege II,” according to tweets McKesson posted Saturday morning.

McKesson said the conversation helped him understand Macklemore's intentions better, and the rapper acknowledged that awareness is only the first step in effecting change:

When I first heard Macklemore's new song, White Privilege II, I DM'd him asking if he'd be down to talk. We talked for an hour this morning.

— deray (@deray) January 23, 2016

As I've said from the beginning, I think Macklemore's song is important. And all art, including his song, is open to critique.

— deray (@deray) January 23, 2016

We talked about the impetus for the song & he noted that it was Darren Wilson's non-indictment & the protests that pushed him to write.

— deray (@deray) January 23, 2016

& Macklemore understands that awareness is the beginning, not the end, of the work. He will be (rightly) judged by the actions that follow.

— deray (@deray) January 23, 2016

I noted that the Kendrick text situation informs a reading of the current song. He both understood that & reflected on how he's grown since.

— deray (@deray) January 23, 2016

In our convo, I got the sense that Macklemore is using this song both to process a complex idea & to push folks to think/act differently.

— deray (@deray) January 23, 2016

& we talked about how the very privileging of whiteness he addresses creates imbalanced exposure for a message many have said before.

— deray (@deray) January 23, 2016

I left the call with Macklemore w/ a deeper understanding of his intent and his commitment to actions that reflect his awareness.

— deray (@deray) January 23, 2016

At least listen to Macklemore's new song before you @ me telling me that I couldn't be more wrong for thinking it's important.

— deray (@deray) January 23, 2016

In the track, a collaboration with his music partner Ryan Lewis and Jamila Woods, Macklemore addresses #BlackLivesMatter, racialized police brutality, and cultural appropriation. The nine-minute song received a mixed response upon its release, with some people expressing disappointment in the song for being an expression of white guilt.

But Macklemore sees it as an opportunity to start a dialogue.

“This song is the outcome of an ongoing dialogue with musicians, activists and teachers within our community in Seattle and beyond,” the Grammy award-winning rapper wrote in a statement. “Their work and engagement was essential to the creative process.”

More information about the collaborators and the objective of the song can be found at WhitePrivilege2.com.

White PeopleMacklemoreMacklemore And Ryan Lewis#BLACKLIVESMATTERNews

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