Macklemore

Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, known professionally as Macklemore, is a rapper from Seattle, Washington. One of the most commercially successful independent rappers in history, Macklemore achieved the seemingly impossible: a #1 album and multiple #1 singles without a major label deal. His debut collaborative album with producer Ryan Lewis, "The Heist" (2012), was a phenomenon — selling over a million copies and spawning "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us," both of which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a combined 15 weeks. "Thrift Shop" spent six consecutive weeks at #1 and became one of the best-selling singles in history. The duo won four Grammy Awards in 2014 — a sweep that generated significant controversy in the hip-hop community. Macklemore is also known for his unflinching examination of white privilege and drug addiction in his music, most notably on the deeply personal "Otherside" and "Drug Dealer." His 2016 album "This Unruly Mess I've Made" and subsequent solo work demonstrate his ongoing commitment to socially conscious rap.