To the best of my knowledge, he hasn’t recorded with any other rappers. However, his single “Can’t Hold Us” prominently features Ray Dalton, a black singer. And The Heist prominently features trumpeter Owuor Arunga, also black. To the best of my knowledge, he actually backs up the shit that he talks about, and isn’t just doing it as some sort of attention grabbing marketing gimmick.
And he’s not just the straight guy rapping about gay rights, he’s the RAPPER rapping about gay rights, and he makes a point in that very song about how much of hip hop is super homophobic. I’m not sure what exactly the problem is with “being the straight dude rapping about gay rights” - are gay rights only something that gay people can fight for? He’s not just coming out of nowhere with his support for this either - he has a gay uncle, so it’s an issue that actually does affect him directly.
I listened to whatever the hell I wanted to listen to, which also included a lot of West coast hip hop. Which have lots of bad words. And yet, somehow, I never ran into a room and told grandma that I was drinkin’ gin and juice. Well, actually, even if I HAD, she would have thought it was hysterical, because she has a fantastic sense of humor and isn’t much of a prude. (She also loves Metallica!)
You seem to be saying that children won’t be effected by watching movies or reading books … but they WILL be if they listen to music. That’s what your first two paragraphs seem to imply. Strange and not very logical.
I stand corrected, he also features Schoolboy Q (a black rapper) on his track “White Walls”, so he has recorded with other rappers. And not even white ones! Oh yeah, and duh, how I could forget Wanz, who is actually featured on Thrift Shop. So, umm, yeah. He certainly works with artists of all colours.
I never heard the unedited version until weeks after it made local radio, and I looked the video up online. Then I was struck by two things in short order:
You can have your kid listen to or not listen to whatever suits your fancy, but please don’t try to call other parents stupid when you can’t even back up your assertions with anything but your own anxiety about your kid saying something stupid and inappropriate to an elder.
Agreed. Of course, I don’t presume to speak for anybody’s though processes. But that sure seems like the explanation behind the poster’s uninformed comments and assumptions.
Kids say things that embarrass their parents all the time. I find it rather hilarious that he seems to think his kids are perfect. Wanna bet? LOL
My nephew liked to say “OH SHIT!” when he stubbed a toe or whatever, because it’s exactly what my dad, his grandfather says, for the same thing. It was hysterical. But we had to pretend it wasn’t funny. NOT EASY, when he also made the same damn face my dad did when he said it.
My family attempts to elevate swearing to an art. As a result, my mother gave me many a grave talking-to about “right words and wrong words” so that I would recognize all the “wrong words” and know not to use them. Apparently by four I had a reputation for telling people “That’s a wrong word” so much it became a joke because I’d do it when anyone used “baby-talk” words, or words I didn’t know yet…
Gawker said, “But shouldn’t a white man who has hip-hop in his heart and awareness in his brain … stop rapping?” That’s a pretty fringe view of how we should respond to privilege.
I LOVE when people start complaining about an artist by making it clear they don’t really actually know anything about the artist they are complaining about.
It’s fine if you don’t like his music or even the way he goes about things, but it’s really kind of annoying to start hating on something by making shit up.
He already brings fellow, and local artists on his albums…and this was his first major release. He really likes to support his local (Seattle) music scene. I imagine his next album will have some local talent.
Hey, now, I enjoy Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and think they are both very talented (as well as very smart business men), but let’s not get crazy here. Beastie Boys they are not, and I’m certain they’d agree.
Also, my brother in law is super, super into hip hop, always has been, and got his young daughters into it from a very young age.
They have gotten older, and none of them had a problem screaming random curse words in public. They have all turned out to be quite wonderful young ladies, in fact.
Or the “Kidz Bop” version. That’s actually a thing. I listened to it out of curiosity for what the cleaned up lyrics might be, but, thankfully, I appear to have blocked it from memory.
I’ve rather liked the guy since I heard him on The Dinner Party, saying people who don’t know “Magic Dance” shouldn’t get invited to your parties.
