Macklemore facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Macklemore
Macklemore in 2022
Born	Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (1983-06-19) June 19, 1983 (age 42) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Other names	Professor Macklemore
Education	College of Santa Fe Evergreen State College (BA)
Occupation	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2000–present
Spouse(s)	Tricia Davis ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	3
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop alternative hip hop pop rap hipster hop
Labels	Bendo ADA
Signature

Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), known as Macklemore, is an American rapper. He was born in Seattle, Washington. He started his music journey in 2000 as an independent artist. This means he released his music without a major record label.

Macklemore became very famous when he teamed up with producer Ryan Lewis. They formed the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis from 2009 to 2016. Their song "Thrift Shop" became a number one hit in the U.S. in 2013. It was special because it reached the top without a big record label's full support. Their next song, "Can't Hold Us", also hit number one. This made them the first duo to have their first two songs reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Their first album, The Heist, came out in 2012. It was a big success, reaching number 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The duo won four Grammy Awards in 2014. These included Best New Artist and Best Rap Album for The Heist. After their second album, This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016), the duo took a break.

In 2017, Macklemore returned with solo music. He released "Glorious" and his second solo album, Gemini. His latest album, Ben, was released in 2023.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Benjamin Hammond Haggerty was born in Seattle, Washington, on June 19, 1983. He grew up in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood with his brother. He has Irish family roots.

When he was six years old, hip hop music became a big part of his life. By age 15, he started writing his own song lyrics. He listened to many East Coast underground hip hop artists. He wanted to connect with younger people through his music. He even helped with music workshops in a program called "Gateways for Incarcerated Youth."

Macklemore went to Garfield High School and Nathan Hale High School. At Nathan Hale, he created the name "Professor Macklemore" for an art project about a superhero. At Garfield, he started a hip-hop group called Elevated Elements. They released an album called Progress in 2000.

He later attended the College of Santa Fe for a year. He said this time helped him become better at rapping. He then moved back to Seattle and finished his college degree at Evergreen State College in 2009.

Music Career Highlights

Early Solo Work

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis at Sasquatch! Music Festival (2011)

In 2000, Macklemore recorded a mixtape called Open Your Eyes. He released it himself under the name Professor Macklemore. Later, he dropped "Professor" from his name. His first official album, The Language of My World, came out in 2005. The first song from this album was "Love Song."

In 2006, he met Ryan Lewis, who would become his music partner. Ryan Lewis first worked as Macklemore's photographer. They became good friends and started working together on music in 2009. Before that, Macklemore performed at the Bumbershoot music festival in Seattle several times.

His second mixtape, The Unplanned Mixtape, was released in 2009. It became popular on iTunes. Songs from this mixtape included "The Town" and "And We Danced."

Working with Ryan Lewis

In 2009, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis officially became a music duo. They released an EP (a short album) called The VS. EP. They also released songs like "Irish Celebration" and "Stay At Home Dad." In 2010, they created the VS. Redux EP.

One important song from this time was "Otherside." Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed this song at a Seattle Mariners baseball game in 2011. They also released "Wings" and "Can't Hold Us" in 2011. That year, they went on a tour and performed at many big music festivals across the U.S.

Macklemore performing at The Heist Tour, in 2012

Their album The Heist was released in October 2012. It quickly reached number 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Songs like "Same Love" and "White Walls" were also released from this album. They went on "The Heist World Tour" to promote the album.

In 2015, Macklemore announced a new album was coming. He released "Growing Up (Sloane's Song)," which featured Ed Sheeran. He also released "Downtown" and performed it at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.

On January 15, 2016, Macklemore announced their third album, This Unruly Mess I've Made, would be released in February. They released "White Privilege II" as a single from this album. The album came out on February 26, 2016. In 2017, Macklemore announced that the duo was taking a break.

Solo Albums: Gemini and Ben

On June 15, 2017, Macklemore released "Glorious" with singer Skylar Grey. This was the first song from his second solo album, Gemini. He also released "Marmalade" with rapper Lil Yachty and "Good Old Days" with Kesha. Gemini was released on September 22, 2017.

In October 2017, Macklemore performed "Same Love" at the opening of the National Rugby League Grand Final in Sydney, Australia. He later went on a tour with Kesha called "The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore" in 2018.

In October 2021, Macklemore released a new song called "Next Year," which featured singer Windser. This song also marked his first time working with Ryan Lewis again in three years.

In 2022, he released more new songs: "Chant" with Tones and I, "Maniac" with Windser, "Faithful" with NLE Choppa, and "Heroes" with DJ Premier. Macklemore's third solo album, Ben, was released on March 3, 2023. In May 2024, he released "Hind's Hall", a protest song.

Personal Life

Macklemore at a Seattle Seahawks party after Super Bowl XLVIII (February 2014)

Family Life

Macklemore got engaged to his girlfriend, Tricia Davis, in 2013. In January 2015, they announced they were expecting their first child. Their daughter, Sloane Ava Simone Haggerty, was born on May 29, 2015. Macklemore and Tricia got married on June 27, 2015.

In September 2017, they shared that they were expecting their second child. Their second daughter was born on April 3, 2018. In 2021, they welcomed their third child, a son named Hugo.

In 2017, Macklemore's grandmother, Helen Schott, turned 100 years old. They traveled around Modesto, California, for the music video of his song "Glorious."

Community Involvement and Views

Macklemore has spoken out in support of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage. He addressed these topics in his 2012 song "Same Love."

He has also shared his views on political topics. In 2017, he attended the Women’s March on Washington. In 2019, he received an award from MusiCares for his support of addiction recovery efforts.

Macklemore supports Palestinian nationalism. In October 2023, he signed a letter asking for peace and an end to the blockade in Gaza. In November 2023, he spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally in Washington, D.C. In May 2024, he released "Hind's Hall" to support student protests.

In August 2024, Macklemore canceled a concert in Dubai. He stated he would not perform there until the United Arab Emirates stops its involvement in the conflict in Sudan. In September 2024, he made a controversial statement at a pro-Palestinian rally, which he later apologized for.

Macklemore also helped produce a documentary film called The Encampments. It is about student protests at Columbia University.

Interests and Hobbies

Macklemore is a big fan of Seattle sports teams. He supports the Seattle Seahawks football team and the Seattle Kraken hockey team. In 2019, he joined the ownership group of the Seattle Sounders FC, Seattle's professional soccer club.

He also enjoys collecting unique art. His collection includes interesting paintings and garments.

Discography

• The Language of My World (2005)
• Gemini (2017)
• Ben (2023)

Filmography

See also

• Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
• List of awards and nominations received by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
• Ryan Lewis