Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, better known by his stage name Macklemore, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. A native of Seattle, Washington, he started his career in 2000 as an independent artist and released three works: Open Your Eyes (2000), The Language of My World (2005) and The Unplanned Mixtape (2009). He rose to international success when he collaborated with producer Ryan Lewis as the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (2009–2016).
The Heist is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It was released on October 9, 2012, by Macklemore LLC, distributed under the Alternative Distribution Alliance. The album was independently self-produced, self-recorded and self-released by the duo, with no mainstream promotion or support. After the album's release, the duo hired Warner Music Group's radio promotion department to help the push with their singles for a small percentage of the sales.
"Thrift Shop" is a song written and performed by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring vocals from American singer Wanz, released on August 27, 2012, as the fourth single from the former's debut studio album, The Heist (2012). The lyrics tell of Macklemore's esteem for thrift shops and saving money, rather than flaunting expensive items like many rappers. The song was met with universal acclaim, with various music reviewers praising its humorous lyrics and social critique.
"Same Love" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, released as the third single from their 2012 debut studio album, The Heist. The track, featuring vocals by Seattle-based singer Mary Lambert, talks about the issue of gay and lesbian rights and was recorded during the campaign for Washington Referendum 74, which, upon approval in November 2012, legalized same-sex marriage in Washington State. The song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and reached number 1 in both Australia and New Zealand. The song was nominated at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards for Song of the Year.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were an American hip hop duo from Seattle, Washington, formed in 2009 by Macklemore, a rapper, and Ryan Lewis, a DJ and record producer. In 2009, they released their first collaborative effort, an EP titled VS. EP. They later followed up with VS. Redux (2010), the Grammy Award-winning album The Heist (2012) and This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016).
Michael "Mike" Wansley, better known by his stage names Wanz and TeeWanz, is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He performs in various genres, including rock, R&B, soul, hip hop, and pop. He was featured on fellow Seattle-based duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' international hit single "Thrift Shop", which received two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.
"Can't Hold Us" is a song written and performed by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring American singer Ray Dalton, originally released on August 16, 2011, as the second single from the duo's debut album The Heist (2012).
American rapper Macklemore has released three studio albums and two mixtapes as a solo artist. The origin of the name Macklemore is from when Haggerty attended Nathan Hale High School and was required to invent a superhero for an art project. At the beginning of his musical career, he recorded an EP titled Open Your Eyes in 2000 under the name Professor Macklemore, which he distributed himself. This initial work of his was also considered a mixtape, as some of the songs on this EP were written separately. His only official mixtape, The Unplanned Mixtape, released in 2009, consisted of ten songs. Macklemore dropped "Professor" from his name, and released his first official full-length album, The Language of My World in January 2005. He appeared as a featured artist on The Physics' song "Good" in 2009. In 2008, 2009, and 2011, Macklemore performed at Bumbershoot, a major arts and music festival in Seattle. In 2009 he released The Unplanned Mixtape, which reached No. 7 on iTunes. Macklemore's debut single "The Town" was released from The Unplanned Mixtape and later remixed by Sabzi of the Blue Scholars. In 2017, he released his second studio album Gemini, which reached No. 2 on the US Billboard 200.
Raymond Adrien Dalton is an American singer based in Seattle, Washington. He began his career as a gospel and R&B singer. Dalton gained prominence as the featured artist on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 2011 song "Can't Hold Us", which gained popularity between 2012 and 2013, eventually topping the charts in multiple countries including the Billboard Hot 100. The song was certified platinum in the U.S. in April 2013. He has won two MTV Video Music Awards.
The discography of American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis consists of two studio albums, two extended plays, 17 singles and 15 music videos. Macklemore and Lewis' single "Thrift Shop" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2013. The single was soon dubbed the first song since 1994 to top the Hot 100 chart without the support of a major record label by Billboard, although Macklemore, in a slightly unusual recording contract, pays a nominal percentage of sales for the usage of Warner Bros. Records' radio promotion department to push the releases of their singles.
"Headlights" is a song by German DJ and record producer Robin Schulz. It features the vocals from American singer and songwriter Ilsey. The song was released in Germany as a digital download on 3 April 2015 as the lead single from his second studio album Sugar (2015). The song has peaked at number 6 on the German Singles Chart. The song was written by Robin Schulz, Ilsey Juber, John Ryan, Andreas Schuller, Eric Frederic, Tom Peyton and Joe London. The original demo version included a sample of an acoustic guitar taken from a sample library, which was replayed for the official release by Mark Summers at Scorccio Sample Replays.
"Sugar" is a song by German DJ and record producer Robin Schulz. It features the vocals from Canadian singer Francesco Yates. The song was released in Germany on 17 July 2015 as the second single from his second studio album of the same name. It interpolates Baby Bash's 2003 single "Suga Suga".
"Downtown" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring fellow American musicians Eric Nally of Foxy Shazam, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, and Grandmaster Caz. The song was officially released on August 27, 2015, as the lead single from the duo's second studio album This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016). A music video for the song was uploaded to Ryan Lewis' YouTube channel on the day of the song's release.
"Here for You" is a 2015 single by the Norwegian DJ and record producer Kygo. It features the vocals from British singer and songwriter Ella Henderson. It is the vocal version of Kygo's previous track, "ID", which was released on 10 February 2015.
This Unruly Mess I've Made is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It was released on February 26, 2016, by Macklemore LLC and Alternative Distribution Alliance. Following the success of the duo's hit album The Heist (2012), which earned them their first Grammy wins, the duo delved into lyrical themes that tackle political and social issues, including white privilege, fame and the scrutiny of the media and tabloids. The album was supported by two singles: "Downtown" and "Dance Off", along with "White Privilege II" featuring Jamila Woods, which was released as the album's promotional single.
Gemini is the second solo studio album by American rapper Macklemore. It was released on September 22, 2017, via Bendo. The first album he released without producer Ryan Lewis since his 2005 solo effort The Language of My World, Gemini is devoid of any political subject matter and just about having a good time.
"These Days" is a song by English drum and bass band Rudimental, featuring British singers Jess Glynne and Dan Caplen as well as American rapper Macklemore. It was released on 19 January 2018 as the second single from Rudimental's third studio album, Toast to Our Differences, following their UK top 10 hit "Sun Comes Up".
"Summer Days" is a song by Dutch producer Martin Garrix, featuring American rapper Macklemore and singer Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy. The song was released on 25 April 2019. The music video for the song was released on 22 May 2019.
