Ever since beating Kendrick Lamar for "Best Rap Album" during last year's Grammy's, Macklemore has had to acknowledge that his race may have helped him achieve the superstar status he holds today, and recently admitted to Hot 97 that he knows being white has helped his career tremendously, and has also led to the media going softer on him than his fellow rap peers.
"Why am I safe? Why can I cuss on a record, have a parental advisory sticker on the cover of my album, yet parents are still like, 'You're the only Rap I let my kids listen to?' Why can I wear a hoodie and not be labeled a thug? Why can I sag my pants and not be labeled a gang-banger? 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? It would be twisted into something else, versus maybe like, 'Get back on your feet!'"
He went on to say that the racial bias that exists in the music industry is simply an extension of the white privilege shown to Caucasians in everyday life.
"To me the music industry, the privilege that exists in the music industry is just a greater symptom of the privilege that exists in America. There's no difference, this is just a byproduct. This is just an offbrand of what's happening in America. People see me, they resonate with me, America's predominantly white. There's relatability. It took a long time for me to get to a point where I was noticed at all. I was an underground rapper for over a decade. But once we got that viral video, once we build up enough momentum organically through word-of-mouth, through the underground, it hit...I got put in that hero box. It's because of privilege. It all boils down to privilege. White privilege is what I'm talking about."
See pics of the Seattle native above. Do you agree with Macklemore? Sound off below.
Source: Hot97
