History of Macklemore in Timeline
Macklemore, born Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, is an American rapper from Seattle, Washington. He began his career in 2000 as an independent artist, releasing three albums: "Open Your Eyes", "The Language of My World", and "The Unplanned Mixtape". Macklemore gained international recognition through his collaboration with producer Ryan Lewis as the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis from 2009 to 2016.
June 19, 1983: Birth of Benjamin Hammond Haggerty
Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, known as Macklemore, was born in Seattle, Washington.
October 21, 2000: Release of 'Open Your Eyes'
Macklemore, then known as Professor Macklemore, released his mixtape 'Open Your Eyes'.
2000: Formation of Elevated Elements and Release of 'Progress'
While attending Garfield High School, Macklemore formed the hip-hop group Elevated Elements and they released their first album, 'Progress'.
2000: Beginnings as an Independent Artist
Macklemore began his career as an independent artist, releasing his first mixtape 'Open Your Eyes'.
January 1, 2005: Release of 'The Language of My World'
Macklemore released his first official full-length album, 'The Language of My World', featuring the lead single 'Love Song' with Evan Roman.
2006: Meeting Ryan Lewis and First Bumbershoot Performance
Macklemore met his future collaborator Ryan Lewis. Macklemore also performed at the Seattle music festival Bumbershoot for the first time.
August 2008: Enters Drug Rehabilitation
Macklemore checked himself into a drug rehabilitation facility to address his addiction to drugs and alcohol.
September 7, 2009: Release of 'The Unplanned Mixtape'
Macklemore released his second mixtape, 'The Unplanned Mixtape', which gained popularity and reached No. 7 on the iTunes Hip Hop chart.
December 2009: Formalization of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Release of 'Irish Celebration'
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis officially formed their duo and released 'Irish Celebration' in anticipation of their upcoming EP.
2009: Graduation from The Evergreen State College
Macklemore completed his bachelor's degree at The Evergreen State College in Olympia.
2009: Collaboration with The Physics and Second Bumbershoot Performance
Macklemore appeared on The Physics's song 'Good'. He also performed again at the Bumbershoot festival.
March 2010: Release of 'Stay At Home Dad'
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released 'Stay At Home Dad', a track that was not included in their 'The VS. EP'.
October 2010: Release of 'The VS. Redux EP'
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released 'The VS. Redux EP', featuring the song 'Otherside', where Macklemore drew on his personal struggles with substance abuse.
January 21, 2011: Release of 'Wings'
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released 'Wings', a significant single in their career.
February 2011: Multi-City Tour and U.S. Music Festival Appearances
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis began a multi-city tour with sold-out shows in Seattle. They also performed at various U.S. music festivals, including Bumbershoot, Outside Lands, Lollapalooza, Rock the Bells, SoundSet, Sasquatch, and Bonnaroo.
April 8, 2011: Performance at Mariners Opening Day
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis performed 'Otherside' at the Mariners Opening Day to a sold-out crowd of 48,000 people.
August 16, 2011: Release of 'Can't Hold Us'
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released 'Can't Hold Us' featuring Ray Dalton, which would later become one of their biggest hits, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
2011: Relapse After Three Years of Sobriety
Macklemore experienced a brief relapse after achieving three years of sobriety.
2011: Third Bumbershoot Performance
Macklemore performed at the Bumbershoot festival for the third time.
July 18, 2012: Release of 'Same Love'
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released their single 'Same Love', advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.
August 2012: The Heist World Tour Begins
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis began their world tour to promote their album 'The Heist'.
October 9, 2012: Release of 'The Heist'
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released their debut album, 'The Heist,' which achieved commercial success, peaking at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
October 2012: Release of 'The Heist'
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released their album 'The Heist'.
October 27, 2012: The Heist Debuts at Number 2
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's album 'The Heist' was released and debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling over 78,000 copies.
2012: Documentary about Addiction
A documentary was released detailing Macklemore's struggles with addiction throughout his twenties.
January 2013: Macklemore Featured on Music Choice
Music Choice featured Macklemore in their new series 'Primed,' which highlighted emerging artists.
January 21, 2013: Engagement to Tricia Davis
Macklemore got engaged to Tricia Davis after seven years of dating.
May 2013: Collaboration with Clinton Sparks
Macklemore was featured on Clinton Sparks's single 'Gold Rush' alongside 2 Chainz and D.A.
2013: 'Thrift Shop' Tops the Charts
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's single 'Thrift Shop' reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making it the first song since 1994 to achieve this without major label support.
May 2014: Macklemore Accused of Antisemitism
Macklemore faced accusations of antisemitism for wearing a costume that resembled a Jewish caricature during a private concert in Seattle. He later issued an apology, stating his intent was to disguise himself, not to impersonate any particular group.
2014: Grammy Awards Success
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis won four Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Best Rap Album ('The Heist'), Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance ('Thrift Shop').
January 3, 2015: Announcing Expecting Their First Child
Macklemore announced on Twitter that he and Tricia Davis were expecting their first child in May.
January 2015: Third Studio Album Announcement
Macklemore announced on Twitter that his third studio album would be released in the second half of the year, though it was later delayed to February 2016.
June 27, 2015: Marriage to Tricia Davis
Macklemore and Tricia Davis got married following the birth of their daughter, Sloane.
August 5, 2015: Release of 'Growing Up (Sloane's Song)'
Macklemore released 'Growing Up (Sloane's Song)' featuring Ed Sheeran as a free download. This song was dedicated to his newborn daughter, Sloane.
August 2015: Release of 'Downtown' and MTV Video Music Awards Performance
Macklemore released 'Downtown' featuring Eric Nally, Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, and Grandmaster Caz. He later performed the song at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.
January 15, 2016: 'This Unruly Mess I've Made' Album Teaser
Macklemore released a teaser video for his third studio album 'This Unruly Mess I've Made', announcing its release date as February 26, 2016.
January 22, 2016: Release of 'White Privilege II'
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released 'White Privilege II', the second single from their upcoming album 'This Unruly Mess I've Made'.
February 26, 2016: Release of 'This Unruly Mess I've Made'
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released their second studio album, 'This Unruly Mess I've Made'.
June 2017: Release of 'Glorious'
Macklemore released the single 'Glorious', featuring Skylar Grey, marking his return to music as a solo artist and his first major release without Ryan Lewis since his rise to fame.
June 15, 2017: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Announce Hiatus
Macklemore officially announced on Instagram that he and Ryan Lewis were taking a break from their musical partnership.
July 26, 2017: Release of 'Marmalade'
Macklemore released 'Marmalade' featuring Lil Yachty as the second single from his upcoming solo album 'Gemini'.
September 2017: Announcing Expecting Their Second Child
Macklemore and Tricia Davis announced they were expecting their second child.
October 9, 2017: Release of 'Good Old Days'
Macklemore released 'Good Old Days', a collaboration with Kesha, as a single from his solo album 'Gemini'.
December 11, 2017: Tour Announcement with Kesha
Macklemore announced a co-headlining tour with Kesha titled 'The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore', promoting both their respective albums.
April 3, 2018: Birth of Second Daughter
Macklemore announced the birth of his second daughter during a performance at the 3Arena in Dublin.
June 6, 2018: 'The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore' Tour Begins
The co-headlining tour with Kesha, promoting their respective albums 'Gemini' and 'Rainbow', kicked off in Phoenix, Arizona.
August 5, 2018: 'The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore' Tour Concludes
Macklemore and Kesha wrapped up their 'The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore' tour in Tampa, Florida.
October 29, 2021: Release of 'Next Year'
Macklemore released a new single titled 'Next Year', featuring Windser. This marked his first collaboration with Ryan Lewis in three years.
2021: Birth of Third Child
Macklemore and Tricia Davis welcomed their third child, a son named Hugo.
July 22, 2022: Release of 'Chant'
Macklemore released 'Chant' with Australian musician Tones and I.
August 19, 2022: Release of 'Maniac'
Macklemore released 'Maniac', featuring American musician Windser.
October 28, 2022: Release of 'Faithful'
Macklemore released 'Faithful', featuring NLE Choppa, as the third single from his upcoming album.
January 20, 2023: Release of 'Heroes'
Macklemore released 'Heroes' featuring DJ Premier, the fourth single leading up to his album release.
February 24, 2023: Release of 'Ben'
Macklemore released his second solo studio album, 'Ben', marking another milestone in his career.
March 3, 2023: Release of 'Ben'
Macklemore released his third solo studio album, titled 'Ben'.