Hip-hop just hurt me so good. It left me with an overwhelming sense of inspiration, encouragement, and affirmation. It reminded me that music and musicians can really change minds, lives, and worlds. I am a big believer in being involved with social justice and community activism, and nothing makes me happier than when these two things are combined with hip-hop to form the ultimate trifecta. It’s rare, but if a musician pulls this combination off with genuine sincerity and commitment, I’m a goner.
It happened with Macklemore, a Seattle-based rapper who just finished a tour with Black Clover’s Grieves and his partner-in-crime and producer Budo. First told about his music by fellow Lovefester Salina, I was properly introduced to Macklemore at the last stop of the “Falling Off Your Shoes” tour at the Knitting Factory in New York City. By the end of his set, which included songs from his 2005 “The Language of My World” debut, songs from his upcoming free hip-hop/rock EP with Seattle photographer and producer Ryan Lewis, and songs from his yet-to-be-completed sophomore release, I knew I had experienced something special. Here was someone who came not only to entertain concertgoers, but also to educate, impact, and challenge them. With each song, he effortlessly proved that he had the skills to write great rhymes and the energy to put on captivating performances. But with each song, he went on to prove something even more impressive; he appreciated the context, history, and culture of hip-hop, and possessed a sensitivity to the intricacies and ills of the society which initially birthed and today sustains the genre. The result was passionate and heartfelt personal reflections tinged with intelligent social commentary. And no, this was not on some basic “BUSH SUCKS!” or “OBAMA WILL SAVE THE WORLD!” tip.
Take, for example, “White Privilege,” a performance he prefaced with the recommendation that “if there is anything you take away tonight, let it be this song.” Picking up where Murs’ “And This is For…” left off, the song addresses the growing presence of white rappers in a genre that grew out of experiences of disenfranchisement amongst African Americans. Macklemore tries to come to terms with the fact that “hip-hop started off on a block that I’ve never been to / to counteract a struggle that I’ve never even been through / if I think that I understand just because I flow too / that means I’m not keeping it true”. In trying to find his place in a genre that he loves, he admits that “I give everything I have when I write a rhyme / but that doesn’t change the fact that this culture is not mine”. By describing both the original and current state of hip-hop, Macklemore does what very few rappers do; he presents the issue in such a way that it actually manages to cut across generational, racial, and mainstream and underground lines and encourage a constructive dialogue about race within hip-hop.
Couple performances like that with songs like “I Said Hey,” where he warns that “all the money in the world can help you look like a star / but money can’t buy you the heart to go put inside your bars,” or “Soldiers,” in which he addresses the flawed incarceration system and says that “what we need is people that actually get involved / that can educate / get their hands dirty / get in the institute and make a difference from the inside out,” or “City Don’t Sleep,” where he raps, “if you want to see change, then put your ones in the air / now point them to yourself because change starts right there,” I knew I had to pick apart this fella’s brain. And if he really held these views, then I had found my new best friend.
Because Macklemore’s subject matter is what spoke to me the most, that was what I was most interested in talking about. In addressing the process through which he creates his songs, Macklemore admits, “I make music to channel something greater than myself. When you’re trying to choose subject matter, you’re doing too much. My music in the purest form comes through me. My lyrics are sparked by listening to a beat, and the experiences that beat conjures up.” By focusing on specific experiences rather than general concepts, Macklemore stays away from clichés like the ladies song and the club banger. This organic process also forces Macklemore to provide uncensored and honest glimpses into his true self.
Because Macklemore refuses to sugar-coat his personality, everything about him is fair game for subject matter. He reflects, “I put all of myself – the good, the bad, the imperfect, the struggles – into my music because that’s when I’m most human.” In addition to addressing serious issues, he raps at length about his little friend Alfonso on the Type-esque “Penis Song.” He admits that while “humor can be a good way to lure people in,” it can also be strategic in that it introduces listeners to an album whose first full-length song is “White Privilege.” The diverse subject matter grabs different audiences and makes them all “think in a different way about issues they have not thought about before, or issues that they don’t want to address,” says Macklemore. By encouraging listeners to reevaluate their own perspective, Macklemore once more shows the purpose he brings to his music; just as he proved with his live performances, he again proves that his music serves for more than just to entertain.
Macklemore consciously strives to uphold that responsibility in all his music. In order to address serious social issues in his songs, he offers, “you have to live life in a way that’s conducive to your music. If you’re not involving yourself with social justice, if you’re not thinking outside of yourself, if your motivation for making music is selfish, then your music is going to reflect that narrowness.” For a long time now, Macklemore has been an active volunteer at prisons. In college, he co-facilitated a writing workshop in which he helped inmates craft rap songs. The inmates then performed these songs in a final cultural fair that was essentially a hip-hop concert. Since then, Macklemore has begun tutoring inmates and helping them get their GEDs. These volunteer opportunities are what bring authenticity to songs like “Soldiers”.
In addition to adding credibility to his music, Macklemore’s volunteer experiences allow him to think beyond his own music; “music is one side of a greater picture of who I am and what I can contribute to society,” he says. He envisions eventually starting a program that provides kids who have been through juvenile rehabilitation with a productive path forward. By giving them access to recording studios, he hopes to one day create a constructive outlet for their budding creativity.
With an appreciation for honest hip-hop, real-life experience in community activism, and a commitment to social justice, Macklemore effortlessly pulls off the trifecta. In this day and age of apathetic youth and misinformed figureheads, it’s so, so, so absolutely refreshing and downright inspiring to see that rappers like him exist. It takes only one musician and one listener to start a dialogue, and it only takes a couple people to start a movement… so the ball is in your court, world. Spread the music, spread the word.
Where to go from here:
-If you like what Macklemore is saying, then buy his "Language of My World" CD directly from his Myspace, check out his blog, follow him on Twitter, and be on the lookout for his free EP this summer.
-If you want to take action and combine music and social justice by bringing Macklemore and fellow rappers Alexipharmic and Sadistik to your city for the American Beauty tour, a tour in
-If you like the idea of combining art and community service, then check out IMAN, Paper Planez (started by Hanifa!!), Hip Hop Against Homophobia, Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls, and The Art of MCing programs by Big Quarters.
