Ryan Silva
RHE 306 #44610 Zacks
16 October 2013
Rhetorical Analysis 2.1
The rise of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ frugality anthem “Thrift Shop” to the top of the
Billboard charts led to a backlash from an abundance of music critics, especially hip hop purists.
Chaz Kangas counters many of the common issues that critics have had with Macklemore and
“Thrift Shop”, notably the song’s possible exploitation of hip hop culture and the questioned
authenticity of Macklemore. Kangas’ goal is to shift the perception of Macklemore from a
“musical punching bag” to a credible artist, but in order to accomplish that goal, Kangas must
first establish himself as respectable voice. Since Macklemore’s credibility and Kangas’
credibility simultaneously interact with one another, the piece on Macklemore is actually Kangas
arguing the case for his own integrity, attempting to qualify his opinions by establishing his ethos
with hip hop jargon, multiple name checks of a wide range of hip hop artists, and logos rather
than pathos.
The fact that Kangas even feels compelled to defend Macklemore shows that Kangas has
a solid understanding of hip hop culture and its deep-rooted reluctance to accept unfamiliar
characters. This idea is subtly implied when Kangas argues that “Macklemore’s not spreading his
messages at the expense of any particular hip-hop tradition.” Kangas does not elaborate on hip
hop traditionalism, but he clearly understands the culture’s protective nature well enough to
know that acknowledging the idea of Macklemore as an exploiter is a must. The comprehension
of the dismissive culture manifests itself once again in Kangas’ need to prove himself credible.
Ryan Silva
RHE 306 #44610 Zacks
16 October 2013
Kangas knows that Macklemore’s harshest critics will be quick to reject the author’s ethos
simply for defending such a controversial figure, so he wastes no time employing his first
technique: attempting to relate through common dialect. In just the second sentence of his article,
Kangas references the Illuminati conspiracy theory, a popular idea that suggests a sacrilegious
cult is responsible for the success of many of hip-hop’s most critically-acclaimed acts. Kangas’
mention of the Illuminati is sarcastic and humorous, while still noting the unlikely triumph of
Macklemore’s “ode to shopping at thrift stores.” The Illuminati theory is largely viewed as a joke
and Kangas uses its connotative playfulness here to relieve the tension that is potentially in play
anytime an author writes a persuasive piece. Kangas maintains this lighthearted tone throughout
using fun wordplay, a popular characteristic of the hip hop genre, to create a comfortably
familiar environment conducive to persuasion. Kangas’ next appeal for acceptance comes in the
form of a double entendre with the word “sick”. Hip hop culture is known for its tendency to
create slang that houses entirely new definitions for words, sometimes even adopting the exact
opposite meaning of the original definition. The phenomena probably begins with the
transformation of the word “nigger” from an offensive insult in the days of slavery and
discrimination to a term of endearment in modern times. The word “sick” has a similar
trajectory. Traditionally, the term is known to describe the feeling of being ill, but in hip-hop
culture, the term is synonymous with being “great” or “talented”. Kangas uses the classic
interpretation initially, but uses the extra parenthetical statement to display his knowledge of the
alternate meaning and gain credibility. Kangas also includes the phrase “real hip hop” to
acknowledge the double standard that Macklemore faces in comparison to similar “shared
Ryan Silva
RHE 306 #44610 Zacks
16 October 2013
ideology” messengers like respected hip hop artist Immortal Technique. For many purists, there
is a considerable difference between “hip hop” and “real hip hop”. If Kangas was not aware of
this subtle difference, his opinion could easily be seen as invalid to that subculture of people who
presumably moonlight as Macklemore’s harshest critics. By including this distinction, the
amount of potential converts created by this article increases dramatically. Kangas ends this
paragraph with a clever pun on the word “token” while comparing Macklemore to “stoner-rap
outfits” that are more familiar with that word as a verb for smoking cannabis. Using language as
his handshake, Kangas once again aims to prove that he is not some out of the loop journalist,
but rather a person whom one of Macklemore’s staunchest critics could very possibly identify
themselves with.
Another useful tool Kangas employs is mentioning a wide variety of hip hop artists
throughout the article to show his extensive knowledge and subliminally promote open
mindedness to the reader. The concurrent juxtaposition and comparison of a conscious, political
rapper like Immortal Technique and an artist with gangster rap sensibilities like Cypress Hill
(whose most popular song is titled “How I Could Just Kill a Man”) is not a feat that could be
accomplished by someone who did not have an incredibly diverse musical palette. In addition to
impressively exhibiting an astute ability to reduce the differences of seemingly drastic ideologies
to mere nuance, Kangas also exercises his knowledge of multiple generations of the genre by
naming upstart hip hop acts and accurately recognizing the way they have been influenced by
their predecessors. The combined effect of both of these observations is a fortified inability to
dismiss Kangas’ opinion as uneducated. Furthermore, the range exemplified by naming popular
Ryan Silva
RHE 306 #44610 Zacks
16 October 2013
mainstream acts, like The Game and Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money label, after naming lesser
known independent artists, like Brother Ali and Slug, shows that Kangas possesses the same
willingness to accept different types of artists that he is pushing for from Macklemore critics. By
practicing what he preaches, Kangas establishes his authenticity even further as he continues to
develop his ethical appeal.
Music, as with all forms of art, succeeds solely in its ability to provoke intense feeling in
the listener. Without this capability, music would have never been created nor been preserved as
a lasting art form. It is due to this aptitude for emotional provocation, however, that one becomes
understandably protective of their beliefs regarding the discussion of music and makes
conclusions using pathos more often than logos. Kangas understands that, due to the natural
intimacy of music, he has no chance of swaying the views of his readers using an emotional
appeal. Instead, Kangas aims to persuade the reader with logic and provide an entirely different
perspective on the same topic. Critics argue that “Thrift Shop” is a rap song for people who do
not like rap songs, a misrepresentation of the genre that capitalizes from being anti-rap in many
ways. Kangas focuses more on the idea that “Thrift Shop” has the potential to act as a gateway
experience for many that eventually leads them to “support another” rap album. Kangas is not
telling people to love the song, he simply is asking them to accept it. For the reader who has
approached this topic logically, Kangas makes a point to continually express his awareness of the
subtle claims, like his performance on Ellen or his pseudo-independent identity, that are often
made by those who do not support Macklemore. The unprovoked disclosure of this information
by Kangas shows that he is well informed on both sides of the argument, once again not allowing
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RHE 306 #44610 Zacks
16 October 2013
readers to disregard his opinion on the grounds of ignorance. Kangas concludes with the
utilitarian appeal that the success of “Thrift Shop” will result in positive outcomes for not just
Macklemore, but hip hop culture as a whole. Again, the idea is not for critics to change their
opinions on the song, but to instead direct their focus to the bigger picture and the intriguing
possibilities for the future that are being made possible by Macklemore.
Chaz Kangas’ article “Critics Need to Lay off Macklemore” succeeds heavily due to its
refined ability to aim low. A total cognitive restructuring would be unlikely in the limited
confines of an online newspaper article, so Kangas foregoes the destined to fail subjective
arguments concerning the greatness of “Thrift Shop” or the talent of Macklemore, opting instead
to merely introduce a different perspective on the topic. The lack of demand in Kangas’ position
allows for a more likely adoption of his viewpoint, which is essentially the purpose of the article.
Kangas believes that “critics need to lay off Macklemore” and he writes this piece not to protect
the integrity of Macklemore, but to protect the integrity of his own thoughts and beliefs. The
topic happens to be Macklemore, but Kangas clearly feels like his beliefs are being challenged
by numerous critics to the point that he is compelled to defend them. Kangas continuously
identifies a number of hip hop artists effectively proving himself as a knowledgeable source by
covering a wide spectrum of old, popular, and obscure artists that inhabit multiple sub-genres
within hip hop. Moreover, Kangas showcases his proficient understanding of hip hop slang
effortlessly weaving his vocabulary in and out of the article. By the end of the piece, Kangas’
consistent display of knowledge efficiently gives the impression that he knows just as much, if
not more, about hip hop as any other critic possibly could. Kangas’ successful depiction of
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RHE 306 #44610 Zacks
16 October 2013
himself as a connoisseur encourages the reader to give this argument and future arguments the
utmost respect.