Macklemore’s been rapping in Seattle since 2000. Long considered a local treasure, he and producer Ryan Lewis worked on crafting great song hooks with killer YouTube videos.
All that hard work’s paid off, because Macklemore’s “The Heist” is right now the #1 album on iTunes.
Real name Ben Haggerty, Macklemore has a strong absurdist bent in his lyrics, and started off with songs declaring his love for his Seattle hometown. More recently he decided to get serious in his song “Same Love” supporting marriage equality.
And then, of course, the above video about thrift shop treasure.
After sold-out shows in London, Dublin and Paris, this year seemed like it was going to explode for him, and now topping the iTunes sales charts, he’s in the process of becoming an even bigger name.
Albums he’s now ahead of today? Mumford and Sons’ “Babel” (#3) and Muse’s “The 2nd Law) (#9).
Congrats, Macklemore! Here’s his video talking about “The Heist” in advance of the album’s release:
Question: What relatively unknown music act would you like to see gain popularity?
