Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were an influential American hip-hop duo from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 2008, the group consisted of rapper Ben Haggerty, known as Macklemore, and DJ, record producer, and photographer Ryan Lewis. The pair gained international fame for their ability to achieve massive commercial success as an independent act, navigating the music industry with a unique distribution model that allowed them to maintain creative control.

The duo first met in 2006 when Lewis began working as a photographer for Macklemore’s promotion. Their professional relationship evolved into a musical partnership, with Lewis producing Macklemore’s 2008 mixtape, The Unplanned Mixtape. By 2009, they formalized their status as a duo and released their debut collaborative project, The VS. EP. This was followed in 2010 by VS. Redux, which featured the critically acclaimed track "Otherside." The song, which sampled the Red Hot Chili Peppers, explored Macklemore’s personal struggles with substance abuse and helped establish their reputation for socially conscious lyricism.