“White Privilege II ” is a single produced by Ryan Lewis and sung by Macklemore. The song was released on January 22, 2016 and features Jamila Woods who is a up-and-coming black artist. The single has been branded as a social commentary on white supremacy in the United States and how it affects Macklemore's life as white male rapper. In creating the song it utilizes the social commentary style, simple lyrics, and simple music composition.
“White Privilege II” uses real life interviews to showcase both the White American and African American perspective on social injustice in regards of race. The first set of interviews comes from the White American view. The general mood of these interviews is a mix mild anger minded, defensive nature, and …show more content…
The incomplex lyrics allow for main purpose of the song to be easy to comprehend which creates the space for masses of people to be able to understand the overall meaning of the song. For example, in the seventh verse of the song, Macklemore addresses how cultural appropriation structures the way people can easily take from black traditions without having to support black businesses or black rights, “We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives?” (6:15-6:20). In asking this question it is clear that Macklemore is critziting not only the people outside of himself but also his own right as a white male artist. The lyrics are constantly question their purpose and how far they're allowed to go due to the race of the singer,“My success is the product of the same system that let off Darren Wilson. Guilty” (6:05-6:10). By addressing subject such as the once talked about with uncomplicated lyrics it structures a story rather than having just a powerful chorus or small section of the song which is a common attribute in other …show more content…
The use a simple composition allows for the lyrics to be the main focus of the song. For example, in the section that features Jamila Woods the first part of the music during this time is only piano which allows for what she is singing to be clearly heard. By making it so that her words can be easily understood it makes it so that the audience is not distracted by the actual composition of the song. Also with the simplicity of the music itself, the change between the different sections of the song appears to be smooth. For example, when the song has its first transition from only Macklemore rapping it uses a muffled version of protesters chanting, “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” (2:57-3:00). This then switches to the Macklemore talking to a mom about his music and how it is positive hip-hop. By making the composition of the song simple the audience is not distract by either fresh beats or a clever mix of melodies. This plays up the weight of the lyrics and the connection between each section and interlude of the
“White Privilege II” uses real life interviews to showcase both the White American and African American perspective on social injustice in regards of race. The first set of interviews comes from the White American view. The general mood of these interviews is a mix mild anger minded, defensive nature, and …show more content…
The incomplex lyrics allow for main purpose of the song to be easy to comprehend which creates the space for masses of people to be able to understand the overall meaning of the song. For example, in the seventh verse of the song, Macklemore addresses how cultural appropriation structures the way people can easily take from black traditions without having to support black businesses or black rights, “We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives?” (6:15-6:20). In asking this question it is clear that Macklemore is critziting not only the people outside of himself but also his own right as a white male artist. The lyrics are constantly question their purpose and how far they're allowed to go due to the race of the singer,“My success is the product of the same system that let off Darren Wilson. Guilty” (6:05-6:10). By addressing subject such as the once talked about with uncomplicated lyrics it structures a story rather than having just a powerful chorus or small section of the song which is a common attribute in other …show more content…
The use a simple composition allows for the lyrics to be the main focus of the song. For example, in the section that features Jamila Woods the first part of the music during this time is only piano which allows for what she is singing to be clearly heard. By making it so that her words can be easily understood it makes it so that the audience is not distracted by the actual composition of the song. Also with the simplicity of the music itself, the change between the different sections of the song appears to be smooth. For example, when the song has its first transition from only Macklemore rapping it uses a muffled version of protesters chanting, “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” (2:57-3:00). This then switches to the Macklemore talking to a mom about his music and how it is positive hip-hop. By making the composition of the song simple the audience is not distract by either fresh beats or a clever mix of melodies. This plays up the weight of the lyrics and the connection between each section and interlude of the