White Privilege II by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Jamila Woods (2016)

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White Privilege II Cover

White Privilege II is a track from the American hip hop duo’s Macklemore & Ryan Lewis second album This Unruly Mess I've Made released on January 22, 2016. This is a sequel from Macklemore’s solo song White Privilege from the album The Language of My World (2005). This hip hop song discusses about white privilege and the social movement associated with Black Lives Matter, "this song is the outcome of an ongoing dialogue with musicians, activists, and teachers within our community in Seattle and beyond. Their work and engagement was essential to the creative process," said the duo. [1]

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will release their album, This Unruly Mess I've Made, on Feb. 26

Key Lyrics

Pulled into the parking lot, parked it

Zipped up my parka, joined the procession of marchers

In my head like, "Is this awkward?

Should I even be here marching?"

Thinking if they can't, how can I breathe?

Thinking that they chant, what do I sing?

I want to take a stance cause we are not free

And then I thought about it, we are not "we"

Am I in the outside looking in, or am I in the inside looking out?

Is it my place to give my two cents?

Or should I stand on the side and shut my mouth?

"No justice, no peace," okay, I'm saying that

They're chanting out, "Black Lives Matter," but I don't say it back

Is it okay for me to say? I don't know, so I watch and stand

In front of a line of police that look the same as me

Only separated by a badge, a baton, a can of Mace, a mask

A shield, a gun with gloves and hands that gives an alibi

In case somebody dies behind a bullet that flies out of the 9

Takes another child's life on sight [2]

Black Empowerment

The song featuring the poet and singer Jamila Woods talks about various aspects of American racism and contemplates his position as a successful white rapper. Both Macklemore and Lewis, in an interview with rollingstone.com tell about their anticipated critiques from both white and people of color listeners,

“This song was a processing-out-loud,” the rapper says. “And it wasn’t, like, ‘How can we beat the critics to the punch? How can we exempt ourselves from this angle, and this angle, and this angle.’ You realize that you’re not going to beat it and you never could. And then it keeps coming back to: It’s not about me. Even though I am the subject, because I’m writing it from my point of view — which I thought was very important — starting the song at a protest, hearing ‘black lives matter’ for the first time, not knowing what to do, moving on to all of this internalized shit in my head that I’m processing, that I’m going through, hearing different people’s perspectives, coming to some sort of conclusion, still asking that question: Will I show up for black lives at the end of this? I had to do all this out loud and come to the conclusion that this is not about me. So if I’m put on blast, critiqued, broken down, questioned — all those things will happen, and they are completely valid. That’s part of the design of the conversation. If there’s a bigger teachable moment through this record, at the expense of me potentially being like, ‘Oh, I should have said this,’ or ‘I shouldn’t have said this,’ or ‘I see where that criticism is coming from,’ that’s OK." [3]

Macklemore discusses his experience when marching in the Ferguson protest due to the shooting of Mike Brown. He even questioned himself whether or not this is the right thing for him to do. He wonders if his music is appropriating Black culture or disrespecting art of rap. [4]

The song comments about how easy and free white police in the United States take black lives, with "a shield, a gun with gloves and hands that gives an alibi." Also arguing his success is "the product of the same system that let off Darren Wilson," known as a police officer who shot Michael Brown, Macklemore raps that, "one thing the American dream fails to mention, is that I was many steps ahead to begin with". The song also samples a line from a woman who ignores the white privilege concept, "you're saying that I have an advantage, why? Because I'm white? [scoffs and laughs] What? No." [5]

References

  1. White Privilege II. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 20, 2021
  2. White Privilege II Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Jamila Woods. Retrieved January 20, 2021
  3. 4 Things Macklemore Told Us About ‘White Privilege II’. Rolling Stone. January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2021
  4. White Privilege II Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Jamila Woods. Retrieved January 20, 2021
  5. White Privilege II. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 20, 2021