Macklemore
Macklemore |
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Ben Haggerty, known by his stage name Macklemore, is a hip hop artist based in Seattle, Washington. Macklemore works with Ryan Lewis (Producer) Andrew Joslyn (Violin), Owour Arunga (Trumpet) and Zach Fleury (Drums, Guitar, Bass), Noah Goldberg (Piano). Macklemore has been popular in his hometown of Seattle since the beginning of his musical career at Garfield High School [1], often performing at the famous Capitol Hill Block Party. In 2008, Macklemore performed at Bumbershoot, a major arts and music festival in Seattle .[2] He is of Irish descent.[3]
History
Macklemore recorded an EP titled Open Your Eyes in 2000 under the name Professor Macklemore, which he distributed himself. After dropping the "Professor" from his name, Macklemore released his first official full-length album, The Language of My World in 2005. He then struggled with substance abuse for several years (as discussed on the critically acclaimed "Otherside," which samples the Red Hot Chilli Peppers song of the same name)[4] before sobering and teaming up with Ryan Lewis in 2009 to produce The VS. EP. Since then, Macklemore has been picked up by The Agency Group[5], an international booking company representing famous bands including 3OH!3, A Tribe Called Quest, Finger Eleven, and Flogging Molly, among others.[6]
In 2005, Abyssinian Creole collaborated with Macklemore on the latter's track "Claiming the City."
In the past, Macklemore has struggled with substance abuse problems, which he considers the reason for his lack of production between 2005 and 2009.[7] He celebrated two years of sobriety in early August 2010, as stated during his performance at Capitol Hill Block Party 2010. In late April 2010, he performed an impromptu set at a house party at Colorado College. The set consisted of his track "And We Danced", two consecutive times to the ecstatic screams of over two hundred deeply devoted fans.[8] In December 2010, he released a tribute song for then recently deceased Seattle Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus, which has received extensive coverage in Seattle media sources.[9][10][11][12] Macklemore performed the song at the 2011 Mariner's Opening Day on April 8th.
Tours
In Early 2011, Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis kicked off a multi-city tour, including three sold-out shows at Showbox at the Market, a premier Seattle music venue.[13]
Discography
| Date | Album |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Open Your Eyes (under Professor Macklemore) |
| Jan 2005 | The Language of My World |
| Sept 2009 | The Unplanned Mixtape |
| Dec 2009 | The VS. EP |
| Oct 2010 | VS. Redux - EP |
Videography
- 2009: "The Town"
- 2011: "My Oh My"
- 2011: "Irish Celebration"
External links
References
- ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-schwartz/seattle-to-the-bone_b_445716.html
- ^ http://seattlest.com/2008/03/28/we_interview_ma.php
- ^ http://www.thatsthatish.com/2011/01/macklemore-ryan-lewis-irish.html
- ^ http://www.thatsthatish.com/2009/11/macklemore-otherside-prod-ryan-lewis.html
- ^ http://www.theagencygroup.com/artist.aspx?ArtistID=6142
- ^ http://www.theagencygroup.com/artists.aspx
- ^ http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/medicine-man/Content?oid=2820949
- ^ http://music.coeusclothing.com/macklemore-and-we-danced/
- ^ http://blog.seattlepi.com/baseball/archives/232916.asp? source=rss
- ^ http://www.komonews.com/news/topline/113460074.html
- ^ http://www.king5.com/home/Rapper-Macklemore-gives-tribute-to-Mariners-broadcaster-Dave-Niehaus-112403489.html
- ^ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/marinersblog/2013748701_new_song_about_dave_niehaus_by.html
- ^ http://seattlest.com/2011/02/23/seattle_loves_macklemore_and_ryan_l.php