Seattle hip-hop duo Macklemore (Ben Haggerty) and Ryan Lewis released their song this past Friday, “White Privilege II,” featuring black poet and vocalist Jamila Woods. The song, a follow-up to “White Privilege,” a track from 2005’s “The Language of My World,” discusses the positionality of white people in the context of current racial issues in America – especially Haggerty’s.

Upon the song’s release, I saw many white people post this video to their Facebook with cries of: “Listen to this song!” “This is so important!” “Wow!”

Where were they when Kendrick Lamar released 2011’s “Section.80,” which was chock-full of discussion from someone who experienced it firsthand? Where were they when dozens, if not hundreds, of artists of color and other marginalized, underrepresented identities released songs that discussed their realities and suffering?

White privilege starts with who will listen to you.

That is what Haggerty has, and so far he has only given “featuring” roles in his music to those who have felt the consequences of white privilege, white supremacism and other manifestations of oppressive systems dictate their lives.

That is not enough.

The problem with “White Privilege II” is not that a white man is singing it. The problem with “White Privilege II” is that it positions people of color in the background for Haggerty’s “nine minutes … of self-flagellating,” said writer August Brown of the Los Angeles Times. Additionally, “(Haggerty) failed at the one job of pop music, which is to make something commanding. I don’t know any rap fan who would ever want to return to nine minutes of hookless self-recrimination from a guy singing about why he doesn’t feel like he has a place to sing.”

With this song, Haggerty hijacked a sociopolitical struggle that was not his to begin with, turned the spotlight on himself, and fell short.

Instead of a Black or other marginalized person’s narrative at the forefront of this song, we instead hear Haggerty’s. Regardless of whether or not this song is for white people, aren’t they always listening to their own perspective? A more radical act would have been to feature Black voices in this song, not as asides to Haggerty, but as the focal points.

The true struggle for Haggerty is making social dialogue without putting himself at the center.

“Throughout this song’s four rap verses … he outs himself as a self-doubting ally in the war against racism, sits confounded as he’s congratulated by unconscious racists, places himself in culture-vulture crosshairs, and finally, reveals himself as a knowing recipient of white privilege,” said writer Kris Ex of Pitchfork Media. “But, at no point does he broach the possibility of this all being part of an elaborate white savior strategy.”

Haggerty is the focus – and as much as his think piece may resonate with his intent, what is his impact going to be?

Furthermore, “(Haggerty) didn’t even use this track to talk about ways to use white privilege to help black people,” tweeted black feminist Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia). “Please don’t tell me he’s down. Ever.”

What other times in recent memory has Haggerty inserted himself into a complicated social dialogue that belonged to a collective identity and community that was not his, and positioned himself and his anthem at the forefront?

“Never forget that he rapped, on one of his most famous songs (“Same Love”), ‘If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me,’ citing ‘the YouTube comments’ — which is like saying that Stravinsky (a Russian pianist, composer and conductor) was a barbarian because “Did you see the reaction at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées?’” said Forrest Wickman, senior editor of SlateMagazine. “Inadvertently or not, he let fans go on with the hateful misconception that he was the only kind of rapper who would speak out against homophobia.”

The language of Haggerty’s privileged world does not match that of those who are dealing with the realities of racism, homophobia and other oppressive systems in America.

Macklemore, Ben Haggerty – sometimes listening, stepping aside and giving your platform to those who need it most is the best way to produce effective change.