Macklemore begins “Fucked Up” by stating, “Stand for something or fall for anything.” He then addresses the historic fires that engulfed Los Angeles, California in 2025. Beyond the catastrophe of the fires, Macklemore leads listeners to connect the dots of power, noting underlying questions of resource ownership and how exploited laborer…
“Fucked Up’s” official music video opens up with imagery of Zül-Qarnaįn Nantambu holding up a Sudanese and Palestinian flag with the words Sudan and Gaza written on it during the Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl halftime performance. Nantambu felt morally compelled to use his opportunity as a participant in the show to bring attention to the su…
Macklemore’s song quotes Debs' April 27th, 1907 essay, “Revolution,” first published in the New York Worker. In the essay, which commemorated International Labor Day—May 1st—Debs explained that the word “revolution” “thrills and vibrates; cheers and inspires. Tyrants and time-servers fear it, but the oppressed hail it with joy.” Revoluti…
“Fucked Up’s” official music video opens up with imagery of Zül-Qarnaįn Nantambu holding up a Sudanese and Palestinian flag with the words Sudan and Gaza written on it during the Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl halftime performance. Nantambu felt morally compelled to use his opportunity as a participant in the show to bring attention to the su…
Eugene V. Debs was sentenced to a ten-year in prison for his June 16, 1918 speech in Canton, Ohio, against World War I. After visiting three socialists jailed for their opposition to the draft, Debs walked to a nearby socialist convention where he gave a two-hour speech praising the draft resisters. “The master class has always declared …
Macklemore’s song quotes Debs' April 27th, 1907 essay, “Revolution,” first published in the New York Worker. In the essay, which commemorated International Labor Day—May 1st—Debs explained that the word “revolution” “thrills and vibrates; cheers and inspires. Tyrants and time-servers fear it, but the oppressed hail it with joy.” Revoluti…
Few major contemporary musicians are deploying their creative talents to analyze and decry systematic oppression the way multi-platinum-selling hip-hop artist Macklemore is. Macklemore's new song “Fucked Up” is a timely and radical assessment of our political moment. It is also a frenetic call to action.
The song begins with an epigraph b…
Eugene V. Debs was sentenced to a ten-year in prison for his June 16, 1918 speech in Canton, Ohio, against World War I. After visiting three socialists jailed for their opposition to the draft, Debs walked to a nearby socialist convention where he gave a two-hour speech praising the draft resisters. “The master class has always declared …
Few major contemporary musicians are deploying their creative talents to analyze and decry systematic oppression the way multi-platinum-selling hip-hop artist Macklemore is. Macklemore's new song “Fucked Up” is a timely and radical assessment of our political moment. It is also a frenetic call to action.
The song begins with an epigraph b…