Macklemore shared a clip Saturday from a pending interview with Nate Burleson on the CBS daily news show, CBS Mornings where he discussed being a white rapper. The conversation explored the responsibilities of himself and Eminem and their place in Hip-Hop culture.
“I think it is true. It is true and I agree,” responded the Seattle musician when the host informed him of his guest status. “If you look at the origin of where Hip-Hop came from and what was happening in New York City, what was happening in the Bronx, and the way Black people and people of color have been treated historically in America from the jump — this was the music that was birthed out of oppression.”
He continued, “Hip hop is inclusive so there’s always been an open door to a certain extent. In certain moments it was a little bit harder to push it open, back in the 90s. But I’m a guest, Em’s a guest. Doesn’t matter how good we get. Doesn’t matter how great Eminem is. We’re guests in the culture. 100%. And that’s not to say that I don’t belong here. I absolutely belong here. But you still have to realize that this is not your house. And that you’re a guest. And take your shoes off and help with some dishes.”
During an interview last month, the Grammy Award-winning rapper shared his thoughts on being labeled a culture vulture and the public response to his 2012 album The Heist.
“I get to tell my story. That’s it. That’s what I’m in control of. I get to make the music that I make. What happens after that is completely out of my control, I am powerless,” he continued. “Once I started to really work on that and do a deep dive — because I had no other choice, right? I was getting scrutinized by the world. I won the Grammys, I apologized to Kendrick, and everyone’s like, ‘You suck. You’re not Hip Hop.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ There’s only two ways out of this: stopping or accepting it.”
On March 3, the 39-year-old rapper returned with his third solo album BEN. With 15 songs, the project features NLE Choppa, DJ Premier, Sarah Barthel, and more.
“This album felt like a reminder of where I’m from,” Macklemore explained to Esquire. “A reminder of what has created the stories that make me who I am. Every album is an opportunity to strip away layers, to get closer to the heart—the thing that I’m trying to connect to every time I’m in the studio… Ben felt fitting. My parents named me Benjamin. I’ve been Ben my entire life. Shedding our masks, getting away from the boxes that society puts on us, and getting back to that core glue of what makes me a human—let’s write from that place.”
