It is a tough week to be provincial energy minister Marco MacLeod.
In what might be his first (and potentially last) real public bout as a politician, MacLeod has been accused of perpetuating harm against women by way of rap songs he recorded sometime between 2009 and 2013, which were published to streaming services in 2023.
Since the story first broke by Frank Magazine last week, both activists and organizations have called out MacLeod’s lyrics for being misogynistic and violent towards women—and have been calling for his resignation in the aftermath.
After the story broke, the music was abruptly removed from streaming services, though Frank still has clips of the songs “George Jones” and “Twenty-One” published on its website. Both songs have been receiving negative attention for their lyrical content, which refers to women as “sluts” and “hoes”. MacLeod also brags extensively about the drugs that he’s allegedly taken.
In the aftermath of the news, the PC Caucus released a statement on the situation, telling CBC News that the lyrics were not autobiographical, while MacLeod stated it was capturing a moment in pop culture over a decade ago.
MacLeod was elected as an MLA in a 2024 byelection in Pictou West. He later won the general election and retained his seat. As Adsum for Women pointed out in their statement on the matter, “MacLeod was not a child when these songs were recorded—he was in his twenties—and when the songs were shared to streaming platforms, he was well into his thirties.”
The organization later continues in their statement, “We cannot accept that MacLeod, who, as an adult, wrote, recorded, and released explicit songs featuring drug use this government ironically condemns, and demeaning, violent and misogynistic language, be excused by his alleged ‘youth’.”
On Saturday, MacLeod posted an apology for the songs in a written letter shared on social media.
“I apologize for my words from 13 years ago”, reads part of MacLeod’s statement. “I accept full responsibility for these lyrics and I am committed to doing everything I can as a community leader to bring about the change necessary to stop misogyny in all its forms.”
So, what about the music?
There is no shortage of misogynistic lyrics to be found in popular music.
Sometimes, they can come off as playfully stupid. Other times, we have more of a “Blurred Lines” situation on our hands, where the song is so plainly disgusting with its over-the-top misogyny and explicit disregard for consent that it becomes an example of what not to do in music.
In hip-hop particular, misogyny is unfortunately all too prevalent, both in the music and in the industry. Acclaimed magazine editor Amy DuBois Barnett puts it best in her article on the subject, where she delves into the roots of that misogyny and the impact it has on women.
While it has been more controversial for artists to include misogyny in their music in recent years, the defense of people like Tory Lanez, who shot female rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the foot after a party in July 2020, reveals that not all fans of the genre, or fans of popular music generally, are on the same page about how women should be characterized in music, let alone treated in reality.
When MacLeod says the song captures a moment in pop culture, he’s correct. It’s unfortunate, then, that the moment it captures is exactly when the broader public started to truly take issue with what they saw as misogyny in their music. 2013 is the exact year the aforementioned “Blurred Lines” released, after all.
The tricky thing about MacLeod’s situation is that the songs were not widely available in 2013, at a time where most people would probably just laugh at him for the God-awful beat, snail’s pace flow and otherwise uninteresting lyrical content. The press would have likely referred to him as the J-Roc of Pictou County and moved on.
However, these songs were put on streaming in 2023, one year before he would run for MLA.
Misogyny is still certainly present in pop music, but it’s been countered in part by women who dominate the pop music charts (with songs they want to create) and make new headway in hip-hop. A slim majority of music fans do not tolerate misogyny as much as they once did, even if some still call for Tory Lanez to be freed of his 10-year prison sentence, listen to every new Drake album with a complete lack of comprehension, and still dance around to Chris Brown.
The essential question in the MacLeod scandal is simply, why? Why were these songs added to streaming in 2023, and why did they remain there for two years into MacLeod’s career as a provincial politician?
What does this say about the PC Caucus’ attitude towards misogyny? Will they let MacLeod off with a slap on the wrist, or will they listen to the broader consensus and force MacLeod to step down? Can the PC Caucus really take another Brad Johns situation head-on?
Furthermore, will MacLeod be forced to go back to the rap game if his political career falters?
