Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are rappers from Seattle. Real name of Macklemore is Ben Haggerty. They work together since joint photoshoot and proved that it is possible to earn big money without major label.
In 2006 Macklemore was aspiring photographer and Mr. Lewis was his producer. It is not clear how they discovered music talents in each other, but in 2008 they suddenly started to perform at various music festivals across America. Extended play “The VS. EP.” was presented in 2009 and was moderately popular on iTunes. Redux version came soon after, as well as cover of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Otherside” that was received favorably by fans of this legendary band. They continued to do decent but niche singles, including smash hit “Can’t Hold Us”, not forgetting about festival business and TV show appearances. This is when premier album “The Heist” made its way to general public and brought them fame, glory, money, Grammy Awards in four nominations and platinum certifications. It took them three years to produce second album. “This Unruly Mess I've Made” was released in early 2016 and was met with mixed reviews from critics, although Rolling Stone magazine praised its confrontational nature. Album sold slightly less 700,000 copies in a year.
