Here's a song by Macklemore. Many people know
Macklemore (and Ryan Lewis) for their song "Thrift Shop".
"Thrift Shops" a great upbeat song that just gets you pumped. I
assumed that Macklemore would have other songs like it so I looked him up (on
the web, iTunes, etc). After doing some research I realized that he had an
album coming out so I pre-ordered it (I had a few iTunes gift cards lying around)
and that might've been one of the best decisions I've made in the last few
months. His album was average but there were a few songs that stood out to me. One
of these songs was "Same Love" (Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Feat. Mary Lambert.
I found that song to be extremely passionate and
moving. The song stands out so well in media (in my opinion) because there
aren't many hip-hop artists that rap about what he does. Following in the
tradition of his popular, socially concerned anthems "Outsiders" and
"Wings", the lyrics are about dismantling homophobia and promoting
marriage equality. "Strip away the fear, underneath it's all the same
love". How many other rappers do you know that rap about what he does? Not
many. That fact that he's one of the few rappers that do make him stand out,
makes his music stand out. Because some of his music is so controversial and
different, it's juxtaposed in media. Why is what Macklemore says so
controversial? It's controversial because it's different. "If I was gay, I
would think hip-hop hates me, have you read the YouTube comments lately?"
"Man
that's gay, get's dropped on the daily". On YouTube (and other outlets),
if someone doesn't like something they may comment with something like
"that's so gay" and use it with a negative connotation. When I
initially heard people say that I was gay I looked it up. I goggled 'definition
of the word gay'. Do you know what I got? It sure as hell wasn't something that
dealt with homosexuality.
Something that's can be used to describe being "happily
excited" or bright or lively, is given this negative connotation and is
associated with homosexuals. Macklemore points out that we use the word gay,
while it's being associated with a negative connotation too often and many
people use it without thinking.
Hip-Hop's intolerance of the gay community is
widespread and well known. Many rappers use homophobic language on albums that
critics go on to rave about, making hip-hop and homophobia inextricably linked.
By becoming numb to the language that we use, we are becoming increasingly
blinded by our own prejudices. I think hip-hop is about as sexist and homophobic as any other
pop genre. We have all heard the arguments against rap
music whose critics silence the anti-capitalist, anti-racist, anti-police
brutality, pro-community rhetoric integral to the Black American working class
art form. And, let us not forget, there are rap artists -and not just this
particular white one- who have and are (not always perfectly) challenging
normative gender roles, sexuality, and patriarchy. I am reminded of Tupac’s
pro-reproductive rights “Keep Ya Head Up” (1993), Mur’s “Animal Style,” and Black
queer hip hop artists Meshell Ndegeocello, Le1f, Azealia Banks and Angel Haze.
The video depicts a gay man's life
from an embattled childhood through a joyous wedding day and then to an
inevitable tragedy. The video does a good job of taking the lyrics and
enhancing them. Here are some of the things that stood out to me from the
video:
In the party, the kid's alone at the dance and then
when he's at the wedding he's dancing with people (his loved one). It shows
that at that point in his life he felt really isolated however when gets
married he's not isolated anymore and draws a nice comparison between the 2
different periods in his life. The lighting in the music video also appealed to
me as it helped enhance what the lyrics are saying and enhances the video. For
example, when it's dark, the person in the video is confused, he's 'in the dark'
(which you can also take to mean that at the time he was still 'in the closet'.
However, when it gets lighter, it seems as though he finds himself and is
happier now. He's no longer confused or alone anymore. Another point of the
music video that I appreciated was the use of life and death. It doesn't
matter what sex you are or your sexual orientation, you enter the world the
same way you leave, alone and with nothing. That draws attention to the fact
that regardless of what the person does or is, ultimately we are all the same.
The consequence and
impact of what we say, and the culture of shame and abuse it creates, has very
real, sometimes deadly impacts upon LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual,
transgender, and questioning) young people looking for acceptance and
belonging. The intolerance is
not something that's exclusive to hip-hop. Hip-hop
culture is a part of American culture, and America can be scared, fearful, and
prejudiced against its own. If you looked to the media for information
regarding homosexuals and homosexuality you would see just how much we fear and
prejudice we have against the LGBTQ community. Hip-hop is influential to
young people, and frames the mindset of the generation that decides how
inclusive and accepting we are. If we choose to not speak on an issue of
injustice out of fear, or how our peers might perceive us, we’re part of the
problem. We know the truth, and vainly refuse to uphold it, when people’s lives
are caught in the balance. There is a huge stigma on those who identified and were perceived as
gay; "All these stereotypes wrapped around my head". Remember when
people that that slavery was okay? Yeah, I do to. Do we still have slaves? Why
not? Because it was wrong. Are there still stereotypes and stigma associated
with African Americans? Yes, but progress is slow. Change does not come along
easily. We fear change, we don’t' want to leave our 'safe little bubble' but we
have to. We have all these preconceived notions of what it means to be gay
given to us by the media (society and religion), why do we listen to it? Why do
be take what the media tells us and accept it to be the irrefutable truth?
Truth be told, in many case we don't, so when it comes to homosexuality and
gays why do we?
The following is a link to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis: Tiny Desk Concert. It includes Same Song, Thrift Shop, and Can't Hold Us. If you wanted to see him perform live and take a look at some other songs by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis here you are. There are a few reasons I decided to throw these in. The main reason would probably because watching Macklemore and Ryan Lewis perform Same Love in person is extremely emotional and moving. Tiny Desk Concerts: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
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