Macklemore and Ryan Lewis caused mayhem when they released the caustic record “White Privilege II” Always the one to stir the pot of controversy, the Seattle duo had their song met with mixed reviews. The tides turned somewhat once people of color realized that the provocative record wasn’t meant for them. It was meant for people like Iggy Azalea and those who seem to be blinded from recent issues due to the whiteness of their skin.
That said, the This Unruly Mess I’ve Made artists linked up with Billboard shoot the cover for their latest issue. During the interview the two discuss the perception of white acts in music that have been accused of cultural appropriation, mainly in hip-hop. Such acts Macklemore references are Miley Cyrus, Iggy Azalea, and Elvis Presley in “White Privilege II.”
“You’ve exploited and stolen the music, the moment/ The magic, the passion, the fashion, you toy with/ The culture was never yours to make better/ You’re Miley, you’re Elvis, you’re Iggy Azalea.”
Predictably, Iggy had an issue with the lyric and responded on Twitter.
@lggysBae he shouldnt have spent the last 3 yrs having friendly convos and taking pictures together at events etc if those were his feelings
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) January 22, 2016
Lastly, Macklemore hinted that he regrets mentioning Iggy in the record, however, this backtracking is reminiscent of the infamous GRAMMY text to Kendrick.
“I don’t think people understood that I’m in my own head [saying], ‘You’re Miley, you’re Elvis, you’re Iggy Azalea’ — I’m talking about myself,” he explains. “Iggy and I came up together. We were on the XXL ‘Freshman’ cover together. There’s enough of a relationship that I should have let her know beforehand. And I didn’t do that.” And he admits quietly, when asked if he’s followed up with the Australian rapper, “I haven’t talked to her.”