Since 2013 Macklemore has been everywhere. You know you had "Thrift Shop" stuck in your head for weeks at a time. Then "Same Love" dropped and people really began to take notice. This was a guy who, with his producer/partner in crime Ryan Lewis, was #1 on the billboard charts as well as all over YouTube and Facebook. And rumor had it they did it all independently? How was that even possible? These guys were everywhere and they were changing hip hop and pop culture.
But who is Macklemore? What's his history? What's his life like when he's not on stage? Are the stories about his causes and battle for LGBT rights true? How long has he been rapping? Where does the name Macklemore even come from?
We've poured through all sorts of quotes, anecdotes, trivia, and more on the rapper to bring you 22 facts you may not know about Macklemore's biography! Vote up your favorites below!
22 Interesting Facts You May Not Know About Macklemore,
He's an Outspoken Proponent of LGBT Rights
Macklemore has been an outspoken advocate of LGBT rights since day one. One of his biggest hits deals with the topic, and is itself a commentary on how homophobic and negative the rap community can be on the matter. The song opens with, "If I was gay, I would think hip hop hates me. Have you read the YouTube comments lately? ‘Man, that’s gay’ gets dropped on the daily."
He's a Multi-Award Winner
It's always nice to be appreciated for your art. Macklemore has been lucky and talented enough to be appreciated by both fans and critics alike. He's been nominated for a staggering 64 prestigious awards, winning 21 of them! These wins include: 2 AMAs, a BET Award, 2 Billboard Music awards, 4 Grammys, 5 MTV Awards, and many more.
He's a Huge Baseball Fan
Macklemore is a huge sports fan, appearing at dozens of professional basketball and football games while repping various jerseys.. But he has a special place in his heart for his hometown baseball team, the Seattle Mariners. He even performed in front of a sold-out 50,000 person opening day at Safeco field in 2011! He dedicated the performance (as well as the song "My Oh My") to sportscaster Dave Niehaus.
He Sent a Text to Fellow Rapper Kendrick Lamar After His Grammy Win
There's being a good sport when you win and thanking your competition. Then there's going above and beyond: when Macklemore won the Grammy for Best Rap album, he went so far as to text Kendrick Lamar personally and tell him that he thought he should have gotten the accolade.
He said: "You got robbed. I wanted you to win. It's weird and sucks that I robbed you. I was gonna say that during the speech. Then the music started playing during my speech and I froze. Anyway, you know what it is. Congrats on this year and your music. Appreciate you as an artist and as a friend. Much love."
He Met Ryan Lewis in Another Professional Capacity
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are a duo. They're a package deal. All of the songs Macklemore is known for, everything since 2006, has been produced by his right-hand man, Ryan Lewis. The musical act known as Macklemore is actually officially listed as 'Macklemore and Ryan Lewis'. But they didn't meet as producer and artist. Ryan Lewis wasn't even a producer when they met, he was a photographer hired to shoot Macklemore! Eventually they collaborated and became two of the biggest names in hip hop, and they haven't stopped working together since.
His Real Name Isn't Macklemore
Just in case you were under the impression that someone actually named their child Macklemore and he grew up to become a rapper, this wasn't the case. He's actually got the extremely normal moniker of Ben Haggerty. He was born on June 19, 1983, in Seattle, Washington.
He Used to Go by Professor Macklemore
While attending Hale High School he was given the assignment to invent a superhero and Professor Macklemore was born! Later he would use that name on his first few tracks and a mixtape. Eventually he dropped "professor" and the rap star known as Macklemore would soon be a pop culture phenomenon.
He's a Happily Married Man
Like any rapper, Macklemore has lyrics about ladies he's lusting after in his rhymes (though his are 100x more respectful than most). But in real life Macklemore is a happily married man. He proposed to his girlfriend of seven years, Tricia Davis, in January of 2013, then the two were wed in June 2015. He waited to marry until after "the Supreme Court ruled same sex couples could, too" - awesome!
He's Been Writing Lyrics Since He Was a Kid
Macklemore wasn't even driving yet when he began writing rhymes! In an interview on BET's 106 and Park he talks about his love of hip hop. He'd been listening to rap since he was seven and rapping in every talent show he could find. Then, when he was about 14 years old, he started writing his own lyrics.
He Is Truly and Completely an Independent Artist
Most artists have to be signed with a record label for years before reaching even a modicum of success. Preferably a major record label like Sony, Warner Bros, Def Jam, Aftermath, and the like. Not in Macklemore's case. He wanted to be able to say what he wanted, how he wanted, and against all odds, he came out on top. Macklemore's record label is officially Macklemore LLC.