- Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore (/ˈmækləmɔːr/ MAK-lə-mor; formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper. A native of Seattle, Washington, he started his career in 2000 as an independent artist releasing: Open Your Eyes (2000), The Language of My World (2005), and The Unplanned Mixtape (2009). He rose to international success collaborating with producer Ryan Lewis as the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (2009–2016).