Macklemore & Ryan Lewis cover the latest issue of Billboard magazine with a stylish image captured by photographer David Needleman. Macklemore dons a bomber jacket and slim-cut pants with suede boots from Common Projects while Ryan Lewis sports a shirt jacket, jeans and Nike sneakers.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Billboard Photo Shoot
Talking to the magazine about their song White Privilege II, which addressed the issue of race and hip-hop with lines like “The culture was never yours to make better–you’re Miley, you’re Elvis, you’re Iggy Azalea”, Macklemore explains the lyrics of the song.
He confides, “‘You’re Miley, you’re Elvis, you’re Iggy Azalea’–I’m talking about myself.” The rapper expresses regrets not talking to Azalea about the lyrics prior to the song’s release.” Macklemore continues, “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.”
Giving his own opinion on the song, rapper Talib Kweli offers, “Regardless of anyone’s opinion on the quality of the recording, whether or not it’s a good song, what he’s attempting to do is exactly what activists ask white allies to do when dealing with the struggle. He’s talking to other white folks on the song. He has black voices on the song. He’s dealing with the issue head on. It’s not something that comes from an abstract place–it comes from a real place.” Read more on Billboard.com.
