Macdonald Challenging Cancel Culture
This week, Tom Macdonald has risen to #1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists Chart.
The Canadien rapper worked his way to the top through his recent singles “Cancelled” and “Fake Woke”. The aggressive social commentary within his songs has caught enough attention to bring ears his way. What makes this rapper significant in 2021?
His Lyrics
His word play is clever and surprisingly aggressive. His lyrics are controversial for this generation. He is addressing hypocrisies in American culture and some are hard truths to swallow.
The common theme between his latest releases is the relationship between music and American culture. Music impacts American behaviors and vice versa; each cannot thrive without one another. This became the fuel for his lyrics. In “Fake Woke”, he connects the two through, “Eminem used to gay bash and murder his mom/And now he doesn’t want fans if they voted for Trump”.
He also calls out rapper Cardi B, a musician who has embodied female aggression in the music industry. He bashes on America for allowing her to be “…the role model for 12-year-old girls”. To him, Cardi’s style could hurt American culture.
Nostalgia
Attitude such as Macdonald’s has shades of Eminem’s early work. While they may contradict his bash on Eminem in “Fake Woke”, it does not rule out a passing of a torch in the artistic style.
If we look back to the 1990s, rappers like Eminem and N.W.A. caused heavy backlash on American viewership for their explicit, violent lyrics. History tends to repeat itself and Macdonald may be the one to represent the cultural pattern.
Some people may be confused as to how this ambitious rapper caught the spotlight for Billboard. For better or worse it is unpredictable whether Macdonald can maintain the momentum and keep the attention. His challenge against cancel culture is dangerous in contemporary America so we will have to stay tuned for this ongoing matchup. His art can either suppress him or further fuel his future work.
For more news on upcoming artists, read up on our site.
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