Macklemore

Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, known professionally as Macklemore, is an American rapper born on June 19, 1983. Raised in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, by his parents Bill Haggerty and Julie Schott alongside his brother Tim, he is of Irish heritage and was raised Catholic. He first encountered hip hop at age six through Digital Underground and began writing lyrics at age 15. During his youth, he attended Garfield High School—where he formed the group Elevated Elements—and Nathan Hale High School, where he adopted the stage name Professor Macklemore. He later attended the College of Santa Fe and earned a bachelor's degree from Evergreen State College in 2009, where he facilitated music workshops for incarcerated youth.

After self-distributing his debut mixtape Open Your Eyes in 2000 under the name Professor Macklemore, he dropped "Professor" from his stage name and released his debut solo studio album, The Language of My World, in 2005. Having first met photographer Ryan Lewis in 2006, Haggerty formally paired with him in 2009 to create the hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. The duo released several projects, including The VS. EP and the 2011 single "Can't Hold Us" featuring Ray Dalton. In 2012, they released their debut studio album, The Heist, which debuted at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Its single "Thrift Shop" became the first self-released song to top the Billboard Hot 100 in 11 years, while "Can't Hold Us" also reached the top spot, making them the first duo in chart history to reach number 1 with their first two singles. At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, the duo won Best New Artist, Best Rap Album for The Heist, Best Rap Song for "Same Love", and Best Rap Performance for "Thrift Shop".

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released their second joint album, This Unruly Mess I've Made, in February 2016, featuring singles such as "Downtown" and "White Privilege II". Later that year, Macklemore put out solo singles including "Drug Dealer", which addressed addiction, and "Wednesday Morning". In June 2017, the duo announced they were on hiatus. Macklemore returned to his solo career with the release of the single "Glorious" featuring Skylar Grey, followed by his second solo studio album, Gemini, in September 2017. Gemini reached number 2 on the Billboard 200. He supported the record by co-headlining The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore tour in 2018. His third solo studio album, Ben, was released in March 2023 and peaked at number 18.

Macklemore married Tricia Davis in June 2015 after becoming engaged in 2013. The couple has three children: two daughters born in 2015 and 2018, and a son born in 2021. He has spoken publicly about his struggles with substance abuse, having entered drug rehabilitation in 2008 and experiencing later relapses, including a near-fatal overdose in 2020. He has used his platform to address addiction issues, including an appearance in a 2016 weekly address with U.S. President Barack Obama, and has voiced support for social causes such as LGBT rights and political commentary through songs such as "Same Love" and the 2024 single "Hind's Hall".