With four Grammy Awards to his credit and tens of millions of records sold, Macklemore has achieved remarkable success in the music industry. Her music has been streamed more than 13 billion times, cementing her status as a popular and influential artist.
The rapper, born Benjamin Haggerty, recently released his first new album in more than five years, titled “Ben.” This album offers a candid portrait of Macklemore’s life, covering topics like his struggle with mental health and addiction, which he says began at the age of 14.
“My addiction began the first time my parents’ half gallon of Smirnoff vodka met my lips. That was the beginning,” Macklemore said.
While recording “Ben”, Macklemore said that he relapsed. He shared a pivotal moment when he realized he needed to stop using drugs after his wife Tricia took a pregnancy test and he was high.
“I remember listening in the bathroom,” he said. “And I heard tears coming from Tricia. And at that moment, I knew that she was pregnant.”
Those weren’t tears of joy, Macklemore said, as “I wasn’t being the version of myself that I know to be the best.”
Growing up in Seattle, Macklemore was obsessed with music and pop culture, heavily influenced by artists such as Michael Jackson, the Digital Underground, and the NWA.
After making a name for himself in the Seattle rap scene, he achieved national success through social media and without the backing of a major label.
His singles “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us” eventually became huge hits despite being passed over by record executives. Macklemore and his producer Ryan Lewis won a Grammy for best rap album in 2014, a highly contentious victory to this day and one that left Macklemore feeling conflicted over winning over fellow nominee Kendrick Lamar.
“I also look at it from the perspective of who wins these award shows. Who has won them historically? I’ve been seeing white artists win Grammys over black artists who are at the center of what, where the culture came from,” Macklemore said. “And I’m like, ‘If I don’t say something right now when I’m benefiting from this very system that I’ve been calling for the last 15 years, what does that say about me?'”
Topics like race are something Macklemore has never shied away from covering.
He said he could choose to prioritize writing radio-friendly hits, but says it’s crucial for him to tackle heavy themes in his music.
“I think it’s important as a white person within hip-hop to realize that you’re a guest, that this culture was born out of oppression that we’re not part of, or part of on the other side. And if I don’t talk about it, if I pretend everything is fine, and I’m taking the best parts of the culture, and I’m not giving back, or I’m not speaking my truth, or I’m not helping other artists to visualize their full potential, so what am I doing? “. he said.
Macklemore, who resides in Seattle with Tricia and their three children, has not only dedicated herself to music but also to the community and local sports teams. He has ownership stakes in Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders and the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
Decades after first bursting onto the scene, Macklemore said she learned a lot, but was told to her younger self, “Keep going. Keep trying. Don’t feed into the instant gratification that’s right in front of you. Walk away. Look at the big picture.” general. And know that today’s sacrifice is tomorrow’s W.”