Starting Over - A Memoir about strength by Macklemore

Rational:

Ever since the release of his first album “The Heist” in 2012, Macklemore has been taking the hip-hop music industry by storm. Macklemore’s music allows the public to be exposed to different realities as the artist will often deliver a very distinct message within his lyrics, clearly expressing the construction who he is.  Macklemore delivers a certain level authenticity and engagement with his intended audience through his rap music by addressing relatable, realistic, and compendious subjects (LGBT community, race, substance abuse, etc).

In order to explore and deliver my understanding on the topic of language and identity better, I chose to write a memoir from written in Macklemore’s point of view. Throughout the years as music has evolved, rap has been used as an expression of cultural identity. This memoir “Starting Over” consists of Macklemore’s personal views on the subject of cultural identity, language and authenticity, and the critical engagement and relationship that he has obtained with his intended audience. The artist will reflect on some of his most successful songs such as “Same Love” and “Starting Over”, whom are direct reflections of who he is, his past experiences, and his perspective on everyday societal problems.  A mix of both AAVE dialect and standard English will be used in several sections of the memoir in order to clearly profile the writer's perspective and the way in which he addresses his audience.

The key characteristics that I intend to emulate through this piece of writing will be informative, relatable and relevant, compendious, and most importantly will have a innovative approach towards the addressed topics. This memoir delivers a personal and innovative perspective from a direct source, allowing the reader to critically engage with the topic of language and identity.

Word Count: 288

Starting over – A Memoir about strength.

by Macklemore

Rewind, set the record straight and start again.

Ben Haggerty is my name. Isn’t it funny how a person’s name is always going to be the first piece of information that you receive about someone?  They know who you are but not exactly who you are. A quote that I really go by is “You Know my name not my story.”. People may judge you for the way you look, where you’re from, the list goes on. What do I say to all this? Man, we live in a society where were all in the same pot, just trying to stay alive. Ya feel me? Some people know me as Ben, ya’ll may know me as Macklemore, or even Professor Macklemore. I often sit down and just simply think about why I do what I do, who I am, and what my next step is.

My name is Macklemore, and music has awakened me to one of the brightest, biggest paths of my life. Music is a part of me and has shaped who I am.

Sometimes, you’re so caught up in the moment that you don’t stop and think about what that moment is and the feeling behind it. Is it love? Passion? I’ll tell you what it is to me, it’s a God Given talent! A talent and passion that needs to be shared with people, so that they too can feel the love with you, and share the love. I am a firm believer in God and the spiritual path that you go through at every stage of your life. When you are given something so special to you, something you hold close to your heart, you gotta share that passion with the world. What would a world be without all those things? Love? Passion? I don’t got a clue, the answer really doesn’t come to mind.

Music has followed me through life for quite some time now, and I would have to say that it is a direct and accurate as hell reflection of who I am as a person. My music is who I am, it’s just like that and no one can change that. I mean, how does someone pile up all those memories, experiences, feelings and not feel the need to let it out? Music is my guardian angel in that way. 

Right now, I’m letting ya’ll know straight up, I feel on top of the moon. But let’s rewind a bit first and let me just say that It wasn’t easy getting to where I am now. To be honest, I’m not going to lie, I know I keep talking about passion and never holding back the love, but let me just say that I did have to think twice about entering this particular music business that I’m in right now. I knew from about the age of 8 years old, being surrounded by music and all all around the house and all, I knew that I had this God Given talent and that the mighty Lord himself wanted me to do something about it. So I started writing, and writing about anything I could think of. Imagination can be hard to get to at times, that’s when I turned to my own reality.

Yes, I did grow up in a very open-minded and friendly area in Seattle. My closest bros were my uncle Johnny and my Godfather. And yes, they were both gay. Johnny owned a restaurant which was a huge attraction for the gay community. You could basically say that I grew up surrounded by gay folks, and I certainly did not have a problem with that. I spent so much time with them that I even began to question my sexuality. Some of you might go back and think to the lyrics of “Same Love”. No I am not gay myself, but that period of confusion has stayed with me to this day and has inspired and opened my eyes to so many elements in my life. Back in 2008, I went through a time period where my life was filled with poison. It took a while, but I did manage to find the clarity I needed in order to help me find the light.

 This inspiration, this driving force led me to writing some of the most meaningful songs in society today. Homophobia and substance abuse are realities that many of us face, but none of us are facing it alone. When I perform “Same Love” and “Starting Over”, they are performed with such passion that I connect with the audience on such a high level. I write these songs not only for myself, but for my fans who, without them, I don’t know where I would be. That’s love man. Sometimes, I even catch my fans in tears but still chanting the lyrics of the song with such strength and passion. In that moment I feel our hearts and identities bonding to become one. It’s moments like these when I know I’m doing my job right.

Climbing up the ladder of fame was not always easy for me. When you stop and think about it, what’s a hip-hop community of black guys gonna expect from a skinny white dude like myself? If you’re going to be a white dude and do what you do, you are to have to take some level of accountability and acknowledge where the art came from, where it is today and how you’re benefiting from it. Call me authentic, but at the end of the day we’re all here for the same reason, to write, produce and share songs with our audience. We need to make sure we deliver music’s general connection to our identity.

To this day, I have never forgotten where I came from and do not intend to die holding onto my words.

Word Count: 974

Works Cited

"Macklemore – Interview With Rolling Stone (Comments on Race and Success)." Genius. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://news.genius.com/Macklemore-interview-with-rolling-stone-comments-on-race-and-success-annotated>.

""Same Love" Lyrics." MACKLEMORE LYRICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/macklemore/samelove.html>.

"Sociology Lens." Sociology Lens RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://thesocietypages.org/sociologylens/2013/08/28/wheres-my-place-in-a-music-thats-been-taken-by-my-race-macklemore-and-authentic-white-hip-hop/>.

""Starting Over" Lyrics." MACKLEMORE LYRICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/macklemore/startingover.html>.

Textspeak and the awakening generation we live in

Many today would stereotypically say that our generation lives in a world dominated by technology. Or simply, "We liv en a w0rld domnatd b teknlogi". It is true that technology has always had somewhat of a close link with language and is a cultural symbol of our awakening generation, and to this day has continued to evolve. The current question that many people ask themselves today, from linguists for parents raising a teenager is, is "texting" or "text speak" a convenient form of speech or just simply all around laziness? Both David Crystal, a British linguist and Jon McWhorther an American linguists argue this subject by conveying the same positive message; language is language.

In the TedTalk led by Jon McWhorther, he argues that texting is a miraculous energy complexity that we are seeing emerge right now before our very eyes. He focuses his supporting points based on the idea that we language is known speech and was not always defined as the way we write. McWorther states the fact that writing and literature did come over 100 years after speech emerged from humans; giving the topic of language a more complex, academic perspective. Writing does have advantages, per say as you can do things and convey messages that are much less likely to be said out loud while you are talking. To elaborate his point further, he uses several examples of different writings composed over years and points out the level of formality within the author's words. He claims that one of the main questions that we ask ourselves are "We talk like we write, but do we write like we talk?".

Over the years, technology, specifically texting has had both a positive and negative impact on our lives. Some positive features surely enough do include being able to communicate faster through text, and get the message across in a more direct way, as well as the negative downfall of literacy. In David Crystal's commentary Texting he argues society's view on text speak and praises the modern phenomenon. "Texting has motivated speech in a much more wide-ranging and innovative set of conventions." Crystal states that language is now recognised more and is constantly evolving. Text speak has embraced the use of language and interpreted it as it's own way of communicating with different social groups. He refers to "text speak" as a new medium for language, which is one of the main reasons why so many linguists are attracted to this subject. Text speak's key feature is abbreviations. For example, words are often formed by using single syllables (i.e. "b" and "u"). Crystal discusses how textures seem to be aware of the value of the written word and the change that occurs in text speak but use it anyway. People often write in "non-standard" english pronunciation, which is perfectly fine as this form of language is appreciated in the way we talk.The fact of the matter is that the use of text speak is not a form of laziness or "boredom" it is simply the new evolved way that a certain social group may or may not communicate with one another.

In conclusion, both linguists view the positive impact of texting and text speak from a literate, and complex point of view. Like everything else in the world, there will always be limitations and strengths, and that is all depends on the way we interpret it. Linguists may view text speak as the fall of english literacy whereas a teenager may view it as a convenient and more direct way to get the message across to their receiver. Crystal and McWhorther agree on the idea that text speak is the evolving genre of our generation, and along with other individuals, we must adapt to new changes in language as it is constantly evolving while it surrounds us in our everyday lives. 

Avril Lavigne's "Hello Kitty" song and music video is a subject of cultural appropriation..but are you really the one to judge?

"Offensive to cultural appropriation"? You are not the one to judge.
http://thespiralgroove.com/2014/04/why-avril-lavignes-hello-kitty-is-an-offensive-cultural-appropriation/

Mélina Lévesque

October 6th 2014

Unless you can get inside their head, you never will truly understand what leads music artists to do what they do. What led them to make a certain stunt, why they were a certain outfit, or even why they really wrote a certain song.

We're talking about a song that was recently released, followed by a "racy and scandalous" music video to go along with that. As a free individual, you have the right to think whatever you want and have your own personal opinion, but there is a limit as to what you can share with others. According to this article, you are strongly against Avril Lavigne's motives in the video as you are saying that she is being culturally inappropriate and somewhat racist whereas you are discussing a very sensitive topic from a bias point of view. I quote, "Lazy western take on a complex area of popular culture." The Canadian artist CLEARLY is not Japanese but has a strong appreciation for the culture. She not only has a successful clothing line, but all throughout her years of stardom she has always showed interest in the culture by paying regular visits to Tokyo, the capital. I personally can argue and say that she can interpret the culture in any way she wants, without being inappropriate at all.

You hold a strong grip towards your point stating that Avril uses Japanese terms in the wrong way. "Kawaii (cuteness) to the point of parody". Kawaii, being a Japanese expression, is what it is, how can it be interpreted any other way?!

In several instances throughout the video, Avril is followed by female Japanese backup dancers who just happen to show no emotion and keep a straight face while following her dance moves. You can almost argue that they are "robot" like. You use the expression "white girl props". I find this extremely offensive not only towards the culture but to Avril as well. Do you want to talk about racism and stereotypes? Because there we have it! Avril is not only with her dancers but also with her fans if you would be kind enough to watch the video again instead of just swooshing through it close mindedly. Your point is invalid.

Now, when we want to talk about the song itself, I agree that some of the lyrics are rather odd. Quoting you again, “Most of Hello Kitty’s lyrics consists of a creepy juxtaposition of the teasingly adult and the childishly innocent, mixing references to ‘pinky swears, ‘truth or dare’ and ‘spin the bottle.” Reality Check!!! Almost every song in the world consists of that stuff nowadays...if not worse! Every single artist out there has probably made that dumb mistake before, but this issue just so happens to land on one? What is this? 

Also, something that really irritated me while reading this article was that you constantly complained about the music itself in terms of the beat, lyrics, etc. This is not a matter of how the music is composed, we're talking about cultural appropriation here so STAY ON TOPIC. 

I myself, am not a major fan of Avril Lavigne, but i still respect her for what she does. Yes the song and the video for "Hello Kitty" is rather odd but I would not directly relate it to cultural appropriation. You would think that maybe the Japanese government would be totally against it...based on what you've said. I actually came across another article saying how the Japanese embassy hopes that the rest of the world embraces the rich culture of Japan through this song. Clearly, Avril's intentions were positive! 

One last thing. All J-Pop artists nowadays are influenced by the western culture and their ways, so why can they not influence a Canadian musician the same way? This is totally UNFAIR. 

Anyone coming across this article would have to agree with me in saying that you are being close-minded towards the topic of cultural appropriation. Throughout the whole article, you sound angry. Maybe there are some personal issues there that you need to sort out before you take it out on social media. 

My last words to you are, before you take out your personal opinion on something you've seen, think about your point of view compared to the rest of the world. Pop Icons like Avril are making money by the minute, and you're hiding behind a computer screen judging their ways. Congrats. 

Regards, 

Mélina Lévesque