麦可莫与莱恩·路易斯

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were an American hip-hop duo formed 2009 in Seattle, Washington, by rapper Macklemore and record producer Ryan Lewis. That same year they released their first collaborative effort, an EP titled VS. EP. They later followed up with VS. Redux (2010), the Grammy Award-winning album The Heist (2012) and This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016).

Macklemore and Lewis' single "Thrift Shop" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2013. The single was soon dubbed the first song since 1994 to top the Hot 100 chart without the support of a major record label by Billboard, although Macklemore, in a slightly unusual recording contract, pays a nominal percentage of sales to use Warner Bros. Records' radio promotion department to push his singles. Their second single, "Can't Hold Us", also peaked at number one on the Hot 100 Chart, making Macklemore and Lewis the first duo in the chart's history to have their first two singles both reach the peak position. Macklemore and Lewis released their debut studio album, The Heist, on October 9, 2012, which charted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200. The pair won four Grammy Awards at the 2014 ceremony, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album (The Heist), Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance ("Thrift Shop"). Their second album, This Unruly Mess I've Made, was released on February 26, 2016.

On June 15, 2017, Macklemore announced that the duo were on an indefinite hiatus.

Career

2006–2010: Career beginnings and The VS.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis met in 2006, when Lewis worked on Macklemore's promotion as a photographer, and they soon became good friends. Lewis produced Macklemore's mixtape The Unplanned, in 2008. They performed together for the first time at Bumbershoot, at the Sasquatch Music Festival in The Gorge Amphitheatre and at the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco. In 2009 they formalized the duo as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and released the debut extended play, The VS. EP. The latter reached No. 7 on the iTunes Hip Hop chart. They also released "Irish Celebration" in December 2009 in anticipation of the release of The VS. EP. In March 2010, the duo released a free download, "Stay At Home Dad", a track that did not quite make VS. In October 2010, they released the VS. Redux EP. Macklemore and Lewis used his experience with substance abuse as the inspiration for the mixtape's critically acclaimed song "Otherside", which samples the Red Hot Chili Peppers song of the same title.

2011–2014: Breakthrough with The Heist

In 2011, they released the single "My Oh My" as a tribute to deceased Seattle Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus, which received extensive coverage in Seattle media. On April 8, 2011, they performed the song at the 2011 Mariners Opening Day to a sold-out crowd of nearly 48,000 attendees. "Wings" was released on January 21, 2011, and charted on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles at number 12, and was followed by "Can't Hold Us" featuring Ray Dalton on August 16, 2011. "Can't Hold Us" eventually became the duo's second number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 18, 2013, and stayed there for 5 weeks. In February 2011, they kicked off a multi-city tour in Pullman, Washington, which included three sold-out shows at Showbox at the Market, a Seattle music venue. That same year, the rapper appeared at several U.S. music festivals including Bumbershoot, Outside Lands, Lollapalooza, Rock the Bells, SoundSet, Sasquatch, and Bonnaroo. Their album The Heist was released in October 2012. Previously released singles "My Oh My", "Wings", and "Can't Hold Us" were announced to be included on the album – as was the song "Make the Money". "Can't Hold Us" was used as the soundtrack for a Miller beer ad in the UK and Ireland in June 2012, increasing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's recognition in Europe.