Macklemore has been one of the most eminent names for a really long time, whether it is his struggling days in the early 2000s and racing up to the pinnacle in 2023, it might take him 23 years to where he is being celebrated as the independent artists climbed his way to the top. It was October 2000 when he released his mixtape titled Open Your Eyes recorded with Haggerty. Yet, this was not his year to thrive, until it was 2005;
1. First Recognition
On January 1st, 2005, he dropped his début album, ‘The Language of My World’. The release gained his modest recognition which was limited to the Northwest. But once he dropped his single ‘White Privilege’, in this number he examined his life as a white rapper. With lines like “Where’s my place in a music that’s been taken by my race / Culturally appropriated by the white face?” he ushered in a new honest and questing perspective, this was an attempt to face the guilt of the gentrifier.
2. Saying His Mind
The song vocalizes this new perspective – somehow different, blessed—or burdened— perspective, with this slightly more self-consciousness point of view he differentiated himself from the other white hip-hop artists or fans. “So where does this leave me? / I feel like I pay dues but I’ll always be a white MC / I give everything I have when I write a rhyme / But that doesn’t change the fact that this culture’s not mine.” His divisive yet upright views also got recognition when he raged about George W. Bush to mischievous tales of scoring a fake I.D. through his music.
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3. Ryan Lewis Ushered
However, his unpopular opinions have briefly plateaused his trajectory as an independent artist in this music fraternity. This was the time he joined forces with Seattle-based producer Ryan Lewis, and together they paved their path to popularity. They kept playing his unique witty, well-meaning numbers at colleges and festivals in front of committed fans who related to him and his thematic concerns. Together they paved their way with incredible releases like ‘The Heist’. Lewis brought a pop sheen and a knack for big choruses to the impassioned rhymes of Macklemore. In 2012, they released ‘Same Love’, a soft-lit ballad. The song soon became the informal theme song for Washington’s campaign to legalize same-sex marriage. Next on their list, they delivered one of their goofiest releases ‘Thrift Shop’, this self-deprecating play on hip-hop’s boastful style instantly resonated with the hip-hop fans.
4. Warner Music Group
This was the time when they were signed with the Warner Music Group, and several songs from their 2012 hit album, ‘The Heist’ was winning heart across the world. Yet, after the success of ‘Same Love’ and ‘Thrift Shop’ people started to recognize their previous releases. Their new-found success and their popularity were at their peak when something changed, this was the perfect example of how something good can bring a lot of negative.
5. First Grammy
In 2014 the duo received two Grammys, one for the ‘Best New Artist and Best Rap Album’ for their album, ‘The Heist’ and another, the ‘Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance’ for ‘Thrift Shop’. Winning these two Grammys brought several years of struggle for him, he tasted success a decade after he started his musical journey, and winning the Grammy brought some unnecessary attention to his unpopular opinions.
6. The Villain
Everything started with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis getting their first two Grammys. The nominations of these two segments had Kendrick Lamar in it as well, and on winning this award Macklemore posts a picture of a text he had sent Lamar, suggesting that he felt unworthy: “It’s weird and sucks that I robbed you.” Some fans were truly appreciative of this gesture, acknowledging a legend but at the same time, he also tagged as the “Villian” amongst the music sorority. Many took this as a gesture of mockery and his previous releases have been bashed.
7. The Flip Side of It
Soon, people with these negative reactions were increasing in numbers, and this has put Macklemore in a strange place. He was accused of having the potential whitewashing of hip-hop and stating appropriation was a blunt charge made by him. Today, appropriation resonates with power and access, and any Culture develops after mingling and mixing with more people. Unfortunately, it was too late as everyone was releasing songs. D’Angelo’s ‘Black Messiah’, Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’, and Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’; were some of the few.
8. Parting Ways with Lewis
In 2016 the duo released their last album together, ‘This Unruly Mess I've Made’. In the very same year, he also released two of his solo singles, ‘Drug Dealer’ and ‘Wednesday Morning’. During this time Macklemore announced on Instagram that the duo was on hiatus, and he continued to pursue his solo music journey.
9. Gemini
After parting, the first song he released a single ‘Glorious’, from his second solo studio album ‘Gemini’. The album has featured artists like Skylar Grey, Lil Yachty, and Kesha. With Lil Yachty he released ‘Marmalade’ and ‘Glorious’ had Grey. Yet the most popular release from this album was ‘Good Old Days’ featuring Kesha released in October 2017. Afterward, their infamous “The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore” tour started on June 6th, 2018.
10. Ben
After a gap of six years, he came stronger and better with the March 2023 release, of his third studio album ‘Ben’. This album has several guest appearances of charlieonnafriday, Collett, DJ Premier, Jackson Lee Morgan, Livingston, Morray, NLE Choppa, Sarah Barthel, Tones and I, and Vic Daggs II.
It was in the early days of 2000 when he started his journey as a music artist and it took him almost 2023 years to establish his unique notions and his songs to be celebrated by the world. He was alone fighting with his only armor of music, and his unyielding buoyancy that everything might go south but not his way of seeing the world. He is the embodiment of success without any major biased backups.
