Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg had Macklemore in the Hot 97 studio for a long interview and a freestyle.
The video above starts with a conversation about the R. Kelly line in "Thrift Shop" and then Rosenberg starts playing the instrumental for Wu-Tang Clan's "Triumph" at the 1:21 mark, which Macklemore lays a really nice flow on top of.
Race is a big part of Macklemore's freestyle here. He mentions Action Bronson, Eminem and Mac Miller and raps, "On behalf of us white rappers, I think it's a fact that yes, we appropriated culture. It's just race. Let's talk, not make it awkward..." and finishes with "... and when I fall off and the 2nd album flops and I turn into Vanilla Ice- wait, that's never gonna happen."
There may not be a musical act more divisive these days than Macklemore, and it's easy to see why. In the rap game, street cred is as important as talent and sometimes even more important. A white rapper from Seattle whose first big hit was about buying clothes at a thrift shop is so unconventional that he's been written off as an impostor by many so-called hip-hop purists. It's a sad reflection on closed-minded and racist attitudes in the music world.
Here's the full 34 minute interview between Macklemore and Peter Rosenberg:
