Macklemore.
So I'm currently enrolled in a Public
Speaking class in school. The first assignment was to write
a speech on anything. It could only last from 2-3 minutes.
So, I chose Macklemore. I thought you guys might enjoy
it.
"When I was asked the question,
'What are you going to do for your speech?' I
answered with, 'Macklemore.' No one really knew who
Macklemore was, so to describe him, I said, 'The guy
who sings Thrift Shop.' Instantly, everyone knows who
I'm talking about. And you guys kind of gave me weird
looks or giggled, like, 'How is this girl going to
write a 2 minute speech on a guy who sings about thrift
shopping?'
"Well, that guy is
actually named Ben Haggerty. Ben was born June 19, 1983, in
Seattle, Washington. In the year 2000, when he was 16, he
began his music carreer. He released an album under the
name of Prof. Macklemore. The album's sales were
minimal.
"In 2005, Macklemore
began abusing substances. OxyContin, in specific. He hit
rock bottom to the point where he lost everything; his
home, his family, and even his music carreer. In 2008,
after 3 years of drug addiction, he finally decided to
clean himself up. He was sober by 2009.
"The Heist was the
next album to be released. This album was released under
the name Macklemore. He dropped the Prof. The Heist
features Thrift Shop, but it also has songs like Otherside
and Same Love. On this album, Macklemore talks about
adolescent violence, suicide, gay marriage and drug
addiction. In his song Otherside, where he profiles
substance abuse, he uses the quote:
"You're stuck, looking in a mirror
like I can't believe what I've become. Swore I
was gonna be someone, and growing up, everyone always
does. We sell our dreams and our potential to escape
through that buzz.
"Same Love describes Macklemore's views on
gay marriage and gay rights. In that song, he uses the
line:
"It's the same hate that caused war over
religion. Gender to skin color. The complexion of your
pigment. The same fight that led people to walk-outs and
sit-ins. It's human rights for everybody, there is no
difference. Live on and be yourself.
"And this man is famous for the line: I wear
your grandad's clothes. I look incredible.
"Macklemore is so much better than Thrift Shop.
Macklemore is an inspiration and my idol. He's the
reason why I keep pushing myself to be better and to make
the right descions. He's such a poetic genius and
it's disgusting that he's famous for potentially
the worst song he'll ever produce. Macklemore is not
the guy who sings Thrift Shop. Macklemore is the man
who's attempting to change the genre of rap and hip hop
music.
"That
is Macklemore. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you
write a 2 minute speech on the man who sings about thrift
shops."