macklemore

I’ve decided to let the polls last 10 days, so the first poll is now closed. I received a surprising number of votes, thanks to everyone who voted! Macklemore came out on top, thrashing Eminem 79% to 21% to win the title of Hotter Rapper. To celebrate, here is an extended biography with ten photos.

Ben Haggerty, born in 1983, was raised in Seattle, Washington. Growing up, he use to spend summers setting up tents and making mixtapes of songs. When he was 14, he began writing lyrics, and released his first EP at the age of 17, under the name Professor Macklemore. He teamed up with his photographer-turned producer Ryan Lewis, who was a close friend, and the two formed the act. Between 2005 and 2009, Haggerty, now known as just Macklemore, suffered from a severe addiction to OxyCotin, which resulted in a hiatus from music. As the two men began to record music again, Macklemore suffered a severe relapse in late 2011. He would recover once again, and with Ryan Lewis, released their full-length debut album, The Heist. The lead single “Thrift Shop” became a viral hit late that year, and especially in early 2013, reaching number one throughout the world. The song was inspired by Macklemore buying the most flamboyant outfits he could find at the thrift shop when he was 17, and wearing them to party. He has always been a huge supporter of gay rights, and recorded a song called “Same Love” in favor of marriage equality. He married his girlfriend of seven years, Tricia Davis, in January of this year.