
Macklemore: Why He Never Signed to a Label, His Struggle with Addiction, and Making Art that Means Something (2023)
About this episode
The rapper Macklemore and his collaborator Ryan Lewis had their first two singles go straight to number one (Thrift Shop and Can't Hold Us). Even more amazing, they did it without being signed to a major label. Macklemore joined Guy in 2023 to discuss why they stayed independent, his battle with addiction, why he feels indebted to the originators of hip-hop, and how to make music that means something.
Macklemore's new album BEN came out March 3rd and can be ordered here.
Links from the show:
Video for "Otherside"
Video for "Thrift Shop"
Video for "Can't Hold Us"
Video for "Glorious"
Short Doc from tour with Imagine Dragons
Video for "Maniac"
Video for "Faithful"
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