Macklemore, who was born Ben Haggerty on June 19, 1983, was formerly known as Professor Macklemore. As he emerged as a leading national hip-hop artist with numerous career highlights to his name, he held a prominent position across the country. He gained critical acclaim along with his DJ/production partner Ryan Lewis, a dedicated fan base, and a steadily increasing anticipation for his upcoming work.
Even though he came from a musical family, he was a musician with a strong passion. When he was fourteen, he started writing his own lyrics and his friends started calling him Mocklimore. He started his career as a performer with a self-produced mini album “Open Your Eyes” under the name of Professor Macklemore when he grew up in Seattle listening to West Coast underground hip-hips.
In 2005, “Language of My World” became his first full-length release. It featured Rhymesayer’s Budo production and was well-received by circles that loved his fresh perspective and a striking balance of insight and levity. As he fought against substance problems, his career went down from there. In 2008, he went to rehab, and in September 2009 he released ‘The Unplanned Mixtape.’
With a newfound, more intrinsic dedication to his music, Macklemore made a commitment to sobriety after several subsequent years of artistic stagnation and frustration. In design, photography and production, he met Ryan Lewis, an accomplished, accomplished artist. They released the “VS” EP in 2009 and the “VS Redux” on iTunes Hip Hop charts in 2010, the latter peaking at #7.
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis packed houses and sold out a majority of their shows in major cities across the country on their first national headlining tour in the spring of 2011. A significant number of major festivals and showcases, including the 2011 Rock The Bells Tour, Soundset (MN) and Bumbershoot, have featured them (Seattle).
In July 2012, they launched their debut “The Heist” album as a partnering pair. The CD took them to the position of runner-up on Billboard Hot 200 and a variety of charts including Hot 100 ruled its single “Thrift Shop”.
The album is the first title to top Billboard Multimedia Songs since “We Are the World 25 for Haiti” was distributed separately in February 2010. It is also the second independent album, almost 20 years after Lisa Loeb’s “Stay (I Missed You)” in 1994, to reach the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list.
The Heist”The Heist” The Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance titles were claimed for its hit track “Thrift Shop” In comparison, in the Best New Artist category, the pair brought home another Grammy.
Macklemore promised in early 2015 that in the second half of the year, a follow-up to “The Heist” will come out. He dropped the Ed Sheeran-penned “Growing Up (Sloane’s Song)” later in August, which was dedicated to Tricia Davis’ mum, Sloane Ava Simone Haggerty, his wife.
Featuring Eric Nally, Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz, Macklemore shared “Growing Up” only a few weeks after launching “Downtown”. On the Billboard Hot 100, the track peaked at No. 12.
The year finished without a new album from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. In January 2016, they subsequently revealed their sophomore attempt. The project is due for release on February 26 under the title “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made”. “White Privilege II” arrived in late January as the second track from the record. White Supremacy II”White Privilege II”