The music industry over the past several decades has been transforming, as well as the artists. Musicians have become more politically involved and their music focus on controversial topics that are happening in America. The song “White Privilege II”, by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Jamila Woods is a song that focuses on white privilege, cultural appropriation, and racism in the perspective of Macklemore. Ben Haggerty, also known as Macklemore a white rapper from Seattle The song mainly focuses on Macklemore’s perspective and how artist in the music industry appropriate Black Culture and do not acknowledge what is going on in the nation through representation. The work of representation is seen in the song “White Privilege II” and demonstrates how …show more content…
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” The representation of a white person through media is seen as someone who cannot talk for people of color or give their opinion on certain subjects. Macklemore is a white rapper and feels that it is not his place to give his opinion on certain issues he might feel passionate about. It is a norm in America, where white people cannot speak out on issues that they have not faced. Black Lives Matter is a subject that has been controversial in the nation. Macklemore uses this as an example in his song in order to express how since he is white he cannot speak out because he is privileged. He has never faced brutality or knows how it feels to be in the shoes of an African American person. In the article by Stuart Hall he states, “Any sound, word, image or object which functions as a sign, and is organized with other signs into a system which is capable of carrying and expressing meanings is, from this point of view, ‘a language’” (Hall 5). Hall explains that sounds and words are able to