Photo courtesy of Otto Greule Jr.
In 2012 Seattle emcee Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis released the album “The Heist.” The release would go on to sell nearly six million copies, have five chart topping singles, and win the Grammy award for Best Rap Album. Just one year prior I got the opportunity to interview Macklemore before he became a household name.
Macklemore had just released The Heist’s first single “Wings” and was preparing to perform on the now-defunct Guerilla Union version of the Rock the Bells tour. Since then, Macklemore released another album with Ryan Lewis, two solo efforts, and countless singles. In 2025 Macklemore released a song called “fucked up” that speaks on Israel’s genocide of Palestinian’s and the United States’ role in it. All proceeds from the purchase of “fucked up” go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to assist Palestinian refugees.
Macklemore is without question a polarizing figure for his political stances and for his “take me as I am” brand of Hip-Hop. After winning the Grammy for The Heist he posted a text message on social media that he sent to Kendrick Lamar stating that Kendrick should have won instead of him. Some Hip-Hop fans took his gesture as being disingenuous, but I did not. Based on his lyrics and our 2011 conversation I knew that Macklemore was without question a genuine person, a lover of the artform, and unquestionably Hip-Hop.
TRHH: What inspired you to write the new song Wings?
Macklemore: I knew that I wanted to do a song about shoes and I was trying to think of the angle. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make it a bragging song like, “look at how many shoes I have” but I realized a lot of people have those types of songs. It came to me when I was looking into my closet and examining my own consumerism — it was right in front of my eyes. This was a culture that I love, I grew up with, and I’m still a part of, but how did this happen? Where did this come from and when did it psychologically try to impact my life?
TRHH: Were you a Jordan fan?
Macklemore: Oh yeah.
TRHH: How were you a Jordan fan coming from Seattle [laughs]?
Macklemore: I was obviously a Sonics fan growing up, but Jordan was just that dude! He was a cultural icon that everybody on the playground wanted to be. The Bulls dynasty was a huge part of my childhood and it was the peak of my basketball interest as a kid. He was just that guy and he also had by far and away the best shoes in the history of basketball.
TRHH: What’s your take on the Sonics going to Oklahoma City?
Macklemore: I think it’s a shame. It’s something that I try not to even think about very often because it infuriates me. It’s just sad, man. We’re a basketball city. We have a lot of great young talent in the city and we turned out a lot of great basketball players. It’s sad that we don’t have an NBA team. Hopefully one day we’ll acquire another team and get it back. We’re definitely a city that supports basketball, it’s just the powers that be, no pun intended, dropped the ball on our team and on our city.
TRHH: Who do you think is the best ball player to come out of Seattle?
Macklemore: I went to school with Brandon Roy, so I’m partial to him. We were in the same class in high school.
TRHH: Talk about how you hooked up with Ryan Lewis and what it’s like working with him.
Macklemore: We came together in the ancient days of MySpace. I heard a beat on his MySpace page that I really liked and hollered at him about it. We ended up collaborating on a couple of songs back in the day. He was primarily my photographer. We maintained a friendship throughout the years and he started perfecting his craft. Every time I’d see him he’d play me beats and I’d be like, “Man, this kid is on to something.” He has a different sound.
He came up different, to a lot of different types of music. He has an indie rock background and he was in a screamo band in high school. He had all these influences along with Hip-Hop and I really heard it in his production. He was outside of the box and it was really inspiring to me. We talked about doing an EP sampling contemporary indie rock songs and just knocking it out in a week. That week turned into nine months and that was the first EP that we put out which was The VS. EP.
TRHH: Listening to your music you seem to have a theme or a message in most of your songs. Why do you think it’s important to speak on certain topics when you rhyme?
Macklemore: It’s just the way that I’ve always written. That’s the form that comes naturally to me. I’m someone that examines culture and tries to break down why things are the way that they are, whether its Hip-Hop music, sex, race, or consumerism. I try to examine it and scrutinize it to the point where I can write a song. I write a lot on the subject. What you hear on the song is not all that I write. I’ll write for weeks or months sometimes and edit it down to a song. I feel like it’s a piece of music that will hopefully stand the test of time and hopefully capture a moment in history if I’m doing it correctly and honestly. That takes time to get to that point.
TRHH: Who inspired you to want to rhyme?
Macklemore: The first person would be Shock G from Digital Underground when I was seven years old. I wouldn’t say it was one person, it was like a wave of artists. Digable Planets had a big influence on me. When I was in eighth grade I was influenced by Wu-Tang, the Rawkus movement with Talib and Mos Def, and The Roots. They all inspired me to be a writer.
TRHH: The Town is a great song…
Macklemore: Thank you.
TRHH: I liked it. What was your response in Seattle when you released that record?
Macklemore: It’s funny ‘cause I almost didn’t put that record out. I was trying to get out for a festival I was doing at the last minute. When people heard it, they resonated with it but it wasn’t until the video came out and it was showing neighborhoods in the community and people that make up our city and our identity. The visuals took that song to the next level and it became for a lot of people an anthem for the city. The response was really great and completely surprising. I wasn’t anticipating that the people would connect with it on that level.
TRHH: You’re performing on a couple of dates of the Rock the Bells tour. What do you and Ryan have in-store for the fans at Rock the Bells?
Macklemore: Yeah. I think to a lot of people this is going to be their first time seeing us. A lot of folks are going to know who we are. I’m going to come out of the gate like I always do. I’m hungry. For Rock the Bells you have to bring your A-game. It’s an elite group of artists that get to perform at an event like that. I’m going to give them 100% and go hard, man. This is the time. It’s extremely humbling that they would include me in the line-up and I just want to prove myself on that stage.
TRHH: Is there anybody on the bill that you want to see just as a fan?
Macklemore: I would love to see everybody. I’m excited for the females. We got Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu — those are two people that I look up to immensely. I respect everybody that’s on the bill. I’m looking forward to seeing what Blu, Fashawn, and Exile put together. To be on the same bill with Nas and Common is insane. That’s some life-long goal shit that’s accomplished.
TRHH: What’s next on the horizon for you?
Macklemore: Ryan and I are working on a full-length album. We’re just in the studio trying to get ready for these shows and get ready for the album. We’re recording as much as possible. We got a couple of videos coming out and a national tour that we’ll be headlining in November. We’re just thinking about this album and trying to put everything into it. This is the project that I want to put everything into and not leave anything behind. I just want to give the people 100% of myself as an artist. We’re on pace to do it, so I’m excited about it.
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