



White hip-hop artists Macklemore and Ryan Lewis debuted their second song dealing with the topic of “white privilege” Friday.

The nearly nine-minute “White Privilege II” ironically showcases Macklemore’s discomfort with being a white artist writing about black issues and participating in black causes. Macklemore explains how he doesn’t believe he should be allowed to give his opinion on racial issues because he’s white:

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

The song also includes attacks on fellow white artists Miley Cyrus, Elvis Presley and Iggy Azalea for having “exploited and stolen the music.”

A website for “White Privilege II” assures fans that black individuals were collaborators on the song.

The website states the company “Macklemore & Ryan Lewis LLC” supports “black-led organizations” such as Black Lives Matter, People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, Youth Undoing Institutional Racism & Freedom School, and Black Youth Project 100.

Although Macklemore explicitly states he is “aware” of his white privilege in the song, Macklemore’s white guilt and pandering were not enough to appease activists on the Internet.

Macklemore was attacked for having the audacity to be white and daring to talk about racism and white privilege:

The original “White Privilege” song is about how white people—like Macklemore—allegedly culturally appropriated hip-hop from black culture.

Listen to both songs below: