Since Macklemore’s 2012 breakout album The Heist with Ryan Lewis, the Seattle rapper has refused to reflexively benefit from his success.
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And he’s had a lot of success and fame to benefit from.
The Heist won a Grammy for Best Rap Album—beating Kendrick Lamar’s good kid m.A.A.d city—in a kind of award show robbery not seen since Jethro Tull beat Metallica for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 1989. Macklemore admitted as much when he drafted an apology text message to Lamar, saying, “It’s weird and sucks that I robbed you.”
Macklemore and Lewis’ “Can’t Hold Us” and “Thrift Shop” were sleeper hits, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. They shocked the music world with an independently produced album that debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.
This Unruly Mess I’ve Made followed in 2016 with the socially conscious Macklemore addressing white privilege while also rapping lightly about mopeds. Though the album reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200, it quickly dropped from the chart. In 2017, Macklemore announced the duo’s hiatus on Instagram.
Going Solo
He returned in 2017 with a new solo album, Gemini. The album’s overarching good times feel reflected the rapper’s state of mind.
In the lead single, “Glorious,” Macklemore declares, You know I’m back like I never left. However, he hasn’t returned to the commercial apex of The Heist’s “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us.”
Relapse and a Period of Darkness
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Macklemore relapsed into addiction, which shaped his latest studio album, Ben, released in 2023. The opening track, “Chant,” is Macklemore’s attempt at a rebirth.
They told me that I vanished, they told me that I had it
They told me that I’m gone I told them, “Don’t panic.”
When you’ve done it this long
And you’ve seen magic
And you know it won’t kill you
Even when the whole world doubts it
The lyrics speak to his defiant sense of resilience while acknowledging his fall from great commercial heights.
Independent Man
What is so fascinating about Macklemore’s career is his level of independence. Though he and Lewis traded a percentage of sales to Warner Music Group in exchange for radio promotion, The Heist was (mostly) an independent effort.
In true Macklemore spirit, his third solo album reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.
Defining Relevancy
One of Macklemore’s musical talents is mimicking the rappers he admires. He’s a fan and student of hip-hop, but without a distinct voice or compelling personal story to tell—the DNA of timeless hip-hop—the flash-in-the-pan description becomes sticky.
And though that description persists, he perseveres equally in pushing back against the narrative.
Macklemore hasn’t slowed down since he and Lewis split, and he’s moved forward with new music and continued community work. Relevancy is a subjective term, and cultural connectedness is fleeting to many pop stars, but he’s certainly not irrelevant to the community he helps.
Where Is He Now?
Apart from a continuing, if diminished, music career, Macklemore devotes much of his time to philanthropic efforts. He advocates on behalf of LGBTQ+ rights and racial equality while also raising awareness about addiction.
Reflecting on his success and how he uses his fame to help others, Macklemore told Hollywood Life, “I think that having a platform is a very valuable thing depending on how you use it.”
Recovering from addiction has inspired his commitment to service. He works in Seattle with Brooks, an environmentally conscious apparel company donating items to those in need. Macklemore also works with Mary’s Place, a nonprofit organization that moves families out of homelessness.
Seattle Kraken
Macklemore joined the ownership group of the National Hockey League’s Seattle Kraken in 2022.
Hockey isn’t Macklemore’s first excursion into professional sports. He joined the ownership group of Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC in 2019.
He continued his political activism by addressing a pro-Palestinian rally in Washington, D.C., in November 2023 in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Contending with Circumstance
Since his 2012 surprise landing into pop culture, Macklemore, self-consciously aware of being a white rapper, never hid from difficult racial conversations. He’s dedicated a lot of creative real estate to addressing systems of injustice while recognizing how he’s benefitted.
The portrait of Macklemore coming into focus is of an artist who not only shapes rhymes into raps but also tries to shape his community into something closer to fairness.
Macklemore has three children with his wife, Tricia Davis.
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Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
