Recently, there has been lots of debate over the apparent racist nature of popular music, largely deriving from the noticeable presence of white artists dominating the pop charts in genres that majorly consist of black artists. Additionally, a few of these white artists, like Macklemore, Lorde and Iggy Azalea Australia, have caught even more flack for seemingly mocking and stereotyping the culture which they are benefiting from, that is hip-hop culture and ,therefore, African-American culture. The issue here can be very tricky to pin point and too often proliferates unnecessary racial tension, however, white privilege seemingly does play a factor in many aspects of our society.
Firstly, I would like to go out on the limb here and say that I am an avid fan of hip-hop culture. I am also white, well actually half Chinese but lets not split hairs here, and therefore, have no real connection to the roots of hip hop culture – that is the oppression which it stems from. Like many other middle class youth in North America during the 90s, my initial love for hip-hop was triggered by its insubordinate nature. It was something that stood in opposition to norms and wittingly challenged authority. I was hooked. My idolatry for hip-hop only grew stronger as I got older. Today, I listen to many different artists and it doesn’t matter to me what their racial background is, as long as the artist conveys authenticity. Good music transcends race, gender, and sexuality in my opinion.
Secondly, I am also a fan of Macklemore. I listened to his music long before he topped the pop charts and have seen him perform almost a dozen times. In my opinion, he is a great performer and his songs come from a genuine place. That being said, the majority of his fans are just like me, white kids from middle class families with many opportunities handed to them. Macklemore even acknowledges this in some of his music; in the song White Privilege, from his first album, he says, “am i just another white boy who ‘s caught onto the trend? when I take a step to the mic, is hip hop closer to the end? Cause when I go to shows, the majority have white skin” (2005). He makes an interesting point here because hip hop’s target audience, like most pop culture, is indeed middle class youth who are predominantly not black. I’m not sure there is any real reason for this other than sheer numbers but it is a fact.
The first problem arising from this is the diminished representation of black artists in mainstream hip-hop, and also R&B music– where white artists like Lorde, Adele and Sam Smith have dominated the latter recently. On the side of hip- hop, the two biggest artists to break the pop charts of late are Macklemore and Iggy Azalea. Iggy, whom I don’t care to even speak about, is grossly offensive because she is a white Australian that distastefully mimics the accents of black female rappers like Lil’ Kim and Nicky Minaj. If this doesn’t define inauthenticity, then I’m not sure what does – Taylor Swift and Katy Perry’s most recent abominations come to mind.
However offensive it may be, the appropriation of African American music and culture by white artists isn’t really a new thing -in fact, it can be traced back to the origins of modern American pop culture. Moreover, it reflects a frightening recurring theme of racial inequality in all aspects of American culture. It could just be a coincidence but it is also possible that white people are more likely to support white artists. Eminem certainly recognized this in his song White America, which stated that suburban America only accepted him because he looks like one of them; little did they know or care to know that Eminem grew up on the “wrong side” of the tracks in East Detroit. Because of this misrepresentation of the culture, I fear that middle class youth who are introduced to hip-hop nowadays may view it as something that is a part of their privilege, or their culture, and over time, its progressive roots will be long forgotten. Not only that, but the ability for mainstream media to only produce hip-hop music that demonizes black culture, will further close the door for progressive black artists to be taken seriously. Perhaps this is why Nas stated years ago, “Hip-hop is dead.”
The second issue is that pop artists like Macklemore and Lorde – with songs like Thrift Shop and Royals – are criticizing hip-hop culture’s inherent glamorization of excessive affluent lifestyles. They are down talking and stereotyping a culture with which they, like me, are not actually a part of. Sure, some hip-hop songs can be very materialistic and often misogynistic and violent, but these attributes are simply the markings of consistent degradation and in no way wholly portrays neither hip-hop nor African-American culture. The historical context of racism and oppression of black people in America should always be considered before critiquing or forming an elitist opinion on the culture; especially if, like Macklemore, you are making a living off that same culture. There may even be some truth behind such a critique and many black and white people alike may agree there are a vast amount of hip-hop songs that are excessively materialistic and distasteful but in no way does elitist mockery sublimate hip-hop culture nor should it try to. It simply misrepresents and divides the culture, disempowering its ability to communicate a unified message, exacerbating white privilege.
I agonizingly cringe whenever I hear someone say, “the only hip-hop I like is Macklemore because he’s the only rapper that doesn’t rap about guns, bitches and money.” This statement is blatantly ignorant because it both: disregards the expression of freedom from struggle that is rooted in hip-hop music; and negates, or at least appears to be oblivious to the immense amount of socially conscious hip-hop, by artists of all races, that has always existed outside the realm of mainstream popular culture. Now, I’m not saying that Macklemore intends to deride hip-hop culture, but by criticizing it in this way, just as he does in the song Same Love, in order to reach a mass audience, he is unknowingly allowing white privilege to subordinate African-American culture. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the exact message the mainstream corporate media wants to communicate to its audiences.