Macklemore Admits 'Being White' Has A Lot To Do With 'Thrift Shop' Success

You may not like his music, but you have to appreciate his honesty. Sticking with the same line of copping to cultural appropriation that he did in his recent Wu-Tang freestyle, Macklemore admitted in his Rolling Stone cover story that a large part of "Thrift Shop"'s success is his own whiteness.

Check it out below:

"If you're going to be a white dude and do this sh*t, I think you have to take some level of accountability... You have to acknowledge where the art came from, where it is today, how you're benefiting from it. At the very least, just bringing up those points and acknowledging that, yes, I understand my privilege, I understand how it works for me in society, and how it works for me in 2013 with the success that The Heist has had... We made a great album, but I do think we have benefited from being white and the media grabbing on to something.

A song like "Thrift Shop" was safe enough for the kids. It was like, "This is music that my mom likes and that I can like as a teenager," and even though I'm cussing my ass off in the song, the fact that I'm a white guy, parents feel safe. They let their six-year-olds listen to it. I mean it's just...it's different.

And would that success have been the same if I would have been a black dude? I think the answer is no." 

Props to Ben Haggerty for admitting that much. It's rare that privileged folks can spot their own privilege and the breaks they were handed (of course, there are some that are calling on Macklemore to do something about it, as copping to privelege and continuing to exploit it is bad. However, to ask a successful musician to up and quit his career because of his skin tone seems a bit much.)

What do you think about Macklemore's statements in Rolling Stone?

Sound off in the comments.