It really is simple why Black people are protective of our leaders, music, style and language. So many white people romanticize African American culture and pick and choose what aspects they deem acceptable, and yet in that very same breath they feel this false authority in deeming what is unacceptable. Black people live, to attempt to rummage through a culture and pick and choose whats “good” or “bad” is a racist, colonialist mindset that has no place here
My problem with Macklemore: Why I'm not a fan and probably never be.
Right now Macklemore is probably the most successful rapper in music this year. He’s got the #1 song in the country. His album is destined to go Gold. He’s performed on Ellen at the end of last year. His song “Wings” was the official song for the NBA All Star Game. He was a XXL Freshman last year. His album has been well received by the Pop and Hip Hop blog community. And he has done it all independently.
The thing about all this success that is astonishing is that most black people I know don’t know who he is. I live in Chicago. I have friends and family that live on the West and Southside of Chicago, and they don’t have a clue who this super successful MC is. I go to University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a historically black college and nobody has a clue who this Macklemore kid is.
In case you don’t know who Macklemore is hes a Seattle MC known for making “conscious” Hip Hop songs about supporting Gay marriage, commercialism, and shopping at Goodwill. Hip Hop heads love the guy but young kids in the hip hop community don’t listen to him really. His success seems to come from the pop music world.
It seems like Hip Hop heads get a hard on for this guy. They seem to ignore that his music sounds like it is a soundtrack for a Disney movie and love to talk about how socially aware he is musically. Now I wouldn’t have a problem with this if critics were more consistent with this thinking. I know you guys know who B.o.B is. Well if you don’t B.o.B is a rapper known for making Pop Rap records just like Macklemore and he also makes conscious rap records, just like Macklemore. Years before Ab-Soul came on the scene with his conspiracies and third eye talk B.o.B was already there when he was a teenager. These days it seems like B.o.B is dismissed by critics and blogs as just a Pop rapper. They love to overlook B.o.B ability as a mult-instrumentalist, his socially aware songs, his singing ability and they throw him in the same lane as Flo Rida. While they ignore Macklemore’s commercial Pop sound and chalk him up as one of the more innovative MC’s. This is the double standard with Black and White MCs.
And its hard for me to like a song like Thrift Shop. I’ve actually had to go to Thrift Shops because NEEDED some clothes. It makes it hard to hear a song bout this established white musician making a record making a record about buying clothes intended for families who can’t afford to shop at the mall. I know its suppose to be this supper fun record and it is (I enjoy it when I’m drunk), but it reminds me of another song by some white hipster rapper. Remember Kreayshawn? Her song Gucci Gucci was a hit record about some white girl shopping at Thrift Shops.
I’m sorry I’m not with the shits.
Any thoughts?
