Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis is an American hip-hop group from Seattle, United States, active from 2009. It is centred on rapper Macklemore and DJ and producer Ryan Lewis, with Owuor Arunga, Rebecca Filice, Jon Hansen, Andrew Joslyn and Greg Kramer also listed as members. The group’s music sits within hip hop and pop rap.

Formation and early releases

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis meet in 2006, when Lewis works on Macklemore’s promotion as a photographer, and they become friends. Lewis also produces Macklemore’s 2008 mixtape The Unplanned. They first perform together at Bumbershoot, the Sasquatch Music Festival at The Gorge Amphitheatre, and Outside Lands in San Francisco.

The duo formalises as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in 2009 and releases its debut EP, The VS. EP. That release reaches number 7 on the iTunes Hip Hop chart. In the same period they release Irish Celebration, then the free download Stay At Home Dad in March 2010 and the VS. Redux EP in October 2010.

Breakthrough period

The track Otherside draws on Macklemore’s experience with substance abuse and samples the Red Hot Chili Peppers song of the same name. In 2011 the duo release My Oh My as a tribute to Seattle Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus, and perform it at Mariners Opening Day to a sold-out crowd of nearly 48,000. That year they also release Wings, which reaches number 12 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, and Can’t Hold Us featuring Ray Dalton.

They tour widely in 2011, including dates in Pullman, Washington, and three sold-out shows at Showbox at the Market in Seattle. Macklemore also appears at a number of U.S. festivals that year, including Bumbershoot, Outside Lands, Lollapalooza, Rock the Bells, SoundSet, Sasquatch and Bonnaroo.

The Heist and chart success

The duo’s debut studio album, The Heist, is released in 2012 and charts at number 2 on the US Billboard 200. The album includes earlier singles such as My Oh My, Wings and Can’t Hold Us, along with Make the Money, Same Love, White Walls featuring ScHoolboy Q, and Jimmy Iovine featuring Ab-Soul. The track Same Love later reaches number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Thrift Shop, released in 2012, becomes the group’s first US number one and reaches number one on charts in many countries. It remains at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. Can’t Hold Us also reaches number one on the Hot 100, making the duo the first act in chart history to send its first two singles to the top position. The song is used in a Miller beer advertisement in the UK and Ireland, which expands the group’s profile in Europe. White Walls, released as the final single from The Heist, reaches number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Awards and recognition

The Heist wins Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards, and the duo wins four Grammys at the 2014 ceremony: Best New Artist, Best Rap Album for The Heist, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for Thrift Shop. They receive seven Grammy nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year for Same Love and Best Music Video for Can’t Hold Us. They are also named in Unsigned Hype in The Source and appear on the cover of XXL Magazine as part of the Freshman Class of 2012. Rolling Stone describes them as an indie rags-to-riches story.

This Unruly Mess I’ve Made and hiatus

The duo’s second studio album, This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, is released in 2016 and reaches number 4 on the Billboard 200. Singles and promotional tracks from the album include Downtown, White Privilege II, Spoons, Buckshot, Kevin and Dance Off. Before the album, Macklemore also releases the free download Growing Up (Sloane’s Song) featuring Ed Sheeran. In 2017, Macklemore announces that the duo is on hiatus.

Live performances and media appearances

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis perform Same Love at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, with Queen Latifah reading marriage vows for 33 couples and Madonna appearing to sing Open Your Heart. They also perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and debut Kevin at the American Music Awards with Leon Bridges. Their work receives further coverage in Seattle media and in a three-page feature in ESPN The Magazine.