14 Aug 2013

Macklemore Covers Rolling Stone

photo cred | Rolling Stone

Our favorite Seattle rapper is covering the latest issue of Rolling Stone out this coming Friday, August 16th. In his cover story – also featuring Ryan Lewis – the two discuss Macklemore’s background as a recovering alcoholic and drug addict while Ryan highlights the issue that people don’t understand what he does and how is he a part of this duo. It’s true; that’s what most people believe. I really enjoyed the preview of this article though and am looking forward to reading the entire story on the both of them.

The cover story, by Brian Hiatt, goes in-depth on the life and career of Ben Haggerty, a.k.a. Macklemore, and his musical partner, Ryan Lewis. Haggerty, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, says that at one point he was so worried about being trivialized as “the ‘Thrift Shop’ guy” that his sobriety was at risk: “I went through a place of not being happy, getting put in the box of ‘This is a novelty rap song,’ and being like, ‘What did I sign up for’?” But the success of the pro-gay-rights track “Same Love” helped him relax. “The legacy that I’m leaving on the world is more than just a song about second-hand clothes,” he says.

Lewis, meanwhile, acknowledges some concerns about being the lesser-known half of the duo. “I think on the mainstream level, nobody knows what the fuck I am. Am I the DJ? Do I make the beats? Do I rap? Am I singing on tracks? I don’t think a lot of people know except real fans who have been around. I mean, you guys, Rolling Stone, don’t want to put me on the cover. It’s like, you’re going to sell more copies with Ben’s face. Why is that? Because the general public, based on the way this whole thing’s been marketed… are going to be more receptive to ‘Macklemore.’ The public don’t care how the song came together. And I can’t change that. So if I have jealousy, deriving from that, then that’s just stupid.”

[Source]