Happy Birthday Macklemore
Ben Haggerty aka Macklemore was born June 19th 1983.
Happy birthday Macklemore. Seattle’s break out indie rapper turns 34 today.
Macklemore shot to the top of the billboard charts in 2012 with his break out hit “Thrift Shop”, but most people don’t know that the socially conscious rapper had already been honing his craft since 2000 and released his first album, Language of My World, in 2005.
Macklemore has always been a more personal sort of rapper. He has shared the struggles and pain in his life through his music since he started in the local Seattle hip hop scene. Ben was raised sharing the stage with the likes of The Physics, The Blue Scholars and Onry Ozzborne. Which has tempered Macklemore’s approach to his music and the socially conscious, positive and optimistic lyrics contained withing. Instead of trying to share an experience that wasn’t his, and therefore wasn’t real or authentic: Macklemore made his personal struggles with depression and drug abuse public struggles. That openness and honesty helped Macklemore’s rise to popularity giving something real for his audience to connect with.
In 2009 Macklemore linked up with producer Ryan Lewis for a collaboration called The Vs. EP which would be what led to their smash hit album The Heist. Macklemore’s independent spirit was in full swing deciding to forego releasing the album on an established record label despite having multiple standing offers to do so. Instead the duo decided to crowd fund and self fund the recording and distribution of the album eventually hiring Warner Music Group to help promote the album. The album would sell 78,000 copies in its first week and go on to top over 1 million sales by 2016. The single “Thrift Shop” became a national radio hit which was followed up by “Can’t Hold Us” and the smash hit “Same Love” which was one of the first hip hop songs to meaningfully tackle the homophobia that was particularly prevalent in the culture in the first half of the 2000’s.
Macklemore’s sophomore outing was far less impressive. This Unruly Mess I’ve Made released in February 2016 received overall mixed reviews and middling sales. The album wasn;t without it’s bright spots. Even though reactions were mixed to the albums lead single “Downtown” and downright hostile toward “Dance Off” which oddly featured Idris Elba, other songs like “Kevin” and “White Privilege II” were hailed as a return to Macklemore’s more confrontational roots.
As Macklemore celebrates 34 trips around the sun, he’s also celebrating 2 years with his daughter Sloan, 11 with with wife Tricia and, by his own account, 6 years sober. All milestones worth celebrating. But instead of celebrating, Macklemore is releasing new music! Just 4 days ago he released a new song “Glorious” that is catchy and full of energy.
Here’s to many, many more birthdays!