Who is Macklemore?

If you were born anytime around me – aka the early 2000s – chances are the words “Hey Macklemore, can we go thrift shopping?” are engrained in your brain, and will be for years to come.

Often remembered for his smash hit with Ryan Lewis titled “Thrift Shop” (featuring Wanz), rapper Macklemore made waves back in the early 2010s, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Thrift Shop.” This made musical history as the first song since 1994 to top the said chart without the support of a major record label, ultimately solidifying his spot within the industry.

Followed by “Can’t Hold Us,” another collaborative song with Lewis, both tracks were a part of the pair’s debut studio album titled The Heist, which received the GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Album in 2014. At this same ceremony, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won the GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist, as well as Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for “Thrift Shop.” It future was as bright as can be for the musical duo!

With Macklemore and Lewis releasing their sophomore studio album in 2016 titled This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, the pair took a brief break before Macklemore returned to the rap scene as a solo artist. In 2017, he released “Glorious” (featuring Skylar Grey) — marking his first major single without Lewis — which became a part of his solo studio album: Gemini. A few years later, Macklemore released another solo studio album titled BEN, but what’s he up to nowadays?

Macklemore’s current status

Macklemore was born Benjamin Hammond Haggerty in Seattle, Washington on June 19, 1983, making him 40 years old. Growing up around Washington’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, he was just six years old when he realized that he had a passion for hip hop, with the genre coming into his life via Digital Underground.

While he had been writing lyrics since his early teenage years, Macklemore was a student at the College of Santa Fe for just one year, where he claims “he got good at rapping.” Contrary to popular belief, he did not make it into the music program, so he moved back to his hometown to pursue music independently.

Achieving all of the feats listed above throughout his career thus far, Macklemore is seemingly back on the music scene, using his platform to make a difference by releasing a tune titled “HIND’S HALL.” The track praises the student-led, pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the country — notably the recent siege of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University, renamed Hind’s Hall in honor of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old who was killed by Israeli troops in Gaza — calling out both President Biden and the police as well.

Macklemore announced via social media that all streaming proceeds on this new tune will be donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.