Universal Problems Brought to Personal Battle: Irish Rapper Macklemore

Ben Haggerty, better known as Macklemore, is a young Irish rapper from Seattle. He has been performing since he attended Garfield High School and Evergreen State College. After graduating, and hoping to reach a younger generation, he began to work at a detention center where his program, "Gateways," was centered around rap. In 2000, Macklemore recorded an EP called "Open Your Eyes." He released his first full album, "The Language of My World," in January 2005. In September 2009 he released "The Unplanned Mixtape" and in October 2010 he teamed up with DJ Ryan Lewis to create the "VS Redux EP" His song on this EP, "Otherside," samples from the Red Hot Chili Peppers song, also called "Otherside," and speaks of Macklemore's substance abuse history.

Macklemore has struggled with much addiction, especially with OxyContin. He blames this addiction for his lack of production between 2005 and 2009. After cleaning himself up in 2008, Macklemore joined collaborative forces with Ryan Lewis and he celebrated two years of sobriety in August 2010. In late April 2010, he performed an impromptu concert at Colorado College, where he performed "And We Danced" two consecutive times for over two hundred people. In December 2010, Macklemore released "My Oh My" to honor the deceased Seattle Mariners broadcaster, Dave Niehaus, which received much coverage on Seattle radio stations. Macklemore performed this song at the 2011 Mariner's Opening Day.

Not only is Macklemore a talented rapper and musician, but also a great guy. He annually gives back to his fans by hosting a huge pizza party. Fans must demonstrate their love of music, and Macklemore in particular, in creative ways to attend this pizza party. In the past this has included singing, painting, and drawing. This idea to host fan appreciation parties began in 2010 and has been a hit with his fans since.

Macklemore plans to release an untitled LP between April 2012 and July 2012. It has not been released yet, but fans are anxiously awaiting his new songs.

Macklemore's album, "Language of the World" really proves Macklemore's desire to become a successful musician and one to inspire his fans. He has the fantastic ability to rap about universal experiences but on a personal level. He also often raps about taboo topics in order to battle personal demons, as well as help listeners battle personal demons. Macklemore adds an enormous sense of humor to many of his songs, that bring alive his personality.