Macklemore

Before assuming the alias Macklemore, as a child Haggerty took an interest in hip-hop at six years old listening to the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, Nas and Talib Kwali on the radio. Stepping up to the plate at 14, Haggerty began writing his own rap material largely influenced by the East Coast underground hip-hop scene emergent in the 90’s. With his eyes set on using his music to help forge relationships with younger communities, Haggerty became involved with music workshops for the project “Gateways for Incarcerated Youth”.

Initially performing under the moniker Professor Macklemore, he released his debut EP “Open Your Eyes” in 2000. Five years later and now simply now as Macklemore, he released his debut full length “The Language of My World”. Things all changed when Macklemore met producer Ryan Lewis a year later, who initially worked as Macklemore’s photographer. Forging a strong friendship, it wasn’t long before Lewis turned to producing a couple of Macklemore’s tracks. In 2009 the duo made the collaboration more of a permanent fixture, now known as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis they went on to release the “VS” EP later that year and the “The VS. Redux” (2010) which went straight to number seven on the iTunes hip-hop chart.

It was the 2012 “The Heist” album from the duo which truly sent them into the stratosphere, debuting at number two in the US charts, certifying platinum and clinching the top five chart positions in: Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The album featured the number one singles “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us Down” commandeering charts all over the globe and turning them into a worldwide sensation. Later that year, the pair embarked on “The Heist World Tour”.

At the 2014 Grammys, the duo cleaned up taking four awards including: Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap song. There’s no stopping Macklemore as he and Ryan Lewis are set upon taking over the globe with a legion of fans providing the ultimate backbone.