Earlier this year, Macklemore made headlines after he essentially swept all the hip-hop categories at the 2014 Grammys. This elicited a strong response from fans, who felt he “robbed” the other artists, particularly Kendrick Lamar (remember that text)?
This year, the Grammys’ rap categories have once again been an issue of debate after Iggy Azalea, another white rapper, dominated the nominations. A couple weeks ago, Azealia Banks spoke on the topic during an interview with Hot 97 which then sparked a huge back and forth in the hip-hop community on the points Banks brought up.
While the discussion was still very much alive and relevant, Hot 97’s Ebro Darden and Peter Rosenburg invited Macklemore to come on the show to share his thoughts on the subject. During his hour-long interview, the rapper makes a lot of thoughtful and articulate points on racism and white privilege:
“As a white dude, as a white rapper, I’m like, how do I participate in this conversation? How do I get involved on a level where I’m not co-opting the movement, where I’m not making it about me, but also realizing the platform that I have and the reach that I have? And doing it in an authentic, genuine way? It’s my privilege that I can be silent about this issue. And I’m tired of being silent about it. It is so imperative right now that we have this race conversation in America if we’re going to progress.”
Rosenburg then asked him if a black rapper could’ve had the same success with “Can’t Hold Us,” to which he responded:
“I can’t go that far, but I will say this… Why am I safe? Why can I cuss and have a parental advisory sticker on my album, and still parents are like, ‘You’re the only rapper I let my kids listen to’?” Why can I wear a hoodie, and not be a thug? Why can I sag my pants, and not be a gangbanger? Why am I on Ellen’s couch? Why am I on Good Morning America? If I was black, what would my drug addiction look like?”
Ebro and Rosenberg also discussed Azalea and how she’s handled the situation, particularly her response to Q-Tip’s hip-hop history lesson. While Macklemore was hesitant to give an opinion, he did say:
“That’s an OG breaking down truth. I’m not getting into how she responded, but it’s important to listen. To be humble. This is a whole debate right here, but this is not my culture to begin with.”
Considering all that’s going on in our country right now, it’s an interview worth listening to. Watch it above.
(Complex)
