Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are partners in the music industry. The worked hard and formed a close bond. What is the result you ask? I would love to tell you. All of their work came in a album called "The Heist". This album was released in October of 2012. "The Heist" hit #1 on iTunes and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album sold nearly 80,000 copies in the first week and over 500,000 to date so far. The song "Thrift Shop" was #1 on Billboard for six weeks in a row has sold 5 million singles in The US, 5 million in Australia and 2 million in New Zealand. It also has been viewed 256 million times on YouTube. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis the first duo in music history to have their first two singles reach the top of the pop charts. But the most impressive achievement about Macklemore and Ryan Lewis is that they've done it all without ever signing a record deal! Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis have “Forget U” the mainstream music industry. They bet everything on themselves and today are receiving the rewards. I don’t know who said the best rappers are black and only blacks could rap. Rappers like Eminem and Macklemore disprove that theory. They are the minorities in rapping, but they are holding their own, and their really good. Yeah!
But before I tell you how it all started, let me tell you how it all started. Welcome to the origins and history of rap. According to Wikipedia rapping (also known as emceeing, MCing, spitting (bars),[2] or rhymin) refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". According to Merriam-Webster rapping means a rhythmic chanting often in unison of usually rhymed couplets to a musical accompaniment. My definition is different. Rap to me is a special type of music, combining hip- hop and poetry. When used in the correct way, it is a beautiful phenomenon (ex. When Maclemore does it). It can have a beat, not have one, do a bunch of things at once, etc. It could be about anything really. I love it, but I hate when other rappers ruin it. Anyway, let’s move on. The roots of hip hop are found in African-American music and ultimately African music. The “griots” of West Africa are a group of traveling singers and poets who are part of an oral tradition dating back hundreds of years. Their vocal style is similar to that of rappers. The African-American traditions, the dozens, and jazz poetry are all descended from the griots. In addition, musical 'comedy' acts such as Rudy Ray Moore and Blowfly are considered by some to be the original rappers. Later, the MCs grew more varied in their vocal and rhythmic delivery, incorporating brief rhymes, often with a sexual or scatological theme, in an effort to differentiate themselves and to entertain the audience. These early raps incorporated the dozens, a product of African American culture. Kool Herc & the Herculoids were the first hip hop group to gain recognition in New York, but the number of MC teams increased over time. Rap lyrics were about love, life, and hardship. That would evolve into “gangsta rap” (but that’s a different story). Sometimes the lyrics negative (if you know what I mean). Believe it or not the huge multi-billion music genre had humble beginnings. Now to Macklemore, or should I say Ben Haggerty. He was born on June 19, 1983, in Seattle, Washington. He grew up in the Capitol Hill area. His mother was a