Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' music is almost universally looked at as some of the most positive in hip-hop, but one California high school apparently thinks that they're spreading ideas of misogyny and drug use through their lyrics. Because of these concerns, Aliso Niguel High School recently turned down the opportunity to have Macklemore and Lewis come speak to students about the music industry that came together through a contest run by online tutoring site, Chegg. Not only that, but the school also turned down a $10,000 grant from the company, which would have gone directly to the art and music departments.
It's unclear why parents brought up these concerns about Macklemore's music in the first place, but the students are already fighting back, and recently launched a petition to get the decision overturned. One student—Quinn Darling—posted about the situation on his Instagram last night, and said that even though the student body debated with the administration about the decision, they wouldn't reconsider the ban. "I am personally offended by their decision as it is based off outdated evidence and our leaders have failed to see all the amazing movements and messages these artists have focused on spreading over the past few years which would be beneficial to every student at our school," Darling wrote.
The petition is currently seeking 5,000 signatures to help force the administration's hand, and thus far, over 1,200 people have signed it. Macklemore is aware of the situation, and tweeted his disappointment for the decision late last night. Students from the school are using the #BringBackMack hashtag on Twitter to help raise awareness for the situation on social media, and it definitely seems to be working. Whether or not the school changes their mind is another story.
