Posted in: Entertainment History, News, Trivia Q & A | No Comments | Posted on November 2, 2021 by Mary Anne

Q. How did Macklemore and Ryan Lewis meet?

A. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis is an American hip hop duo, formed in 2008, from Seattle, Washington. The duo is composed of Ben Haggerty, a rapper who goes by the stage name of Macklemore, and Ryan Lewis, a record producer, DJ, and professional photographer, who met the former at a photo shoot and they have significantly collaborated ever since. Lewis started working as Macklemore’s photographer, but it wasn’t long before they started making music together, with Lewis taking on the producing, mixing, and engineering responsibilities.
Ben Haggerty made his debut as Professor Macklemore in 2000 with the EP Open Your Eyes but would later drop the “Professor” in time for his full-length debut with The Language of My World in 2005.
The duo’s claim to fame was the surprise chart-topping hit “Thrift Shop,” the fifth single from their debut album, The Heist (2012). It was quite a feat for an independent act without the benefit of a major record label.
In contrast to many rap songs that flaunt wealth and excess, the track praised frugality and eschewed designer duds for bargain-basement threads.
Haggerty guest-starred on an episode of Sesame Street as the character “Mucklemore” to teach Oscar the Grouch and friends how to recycle.