Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, mononymously known as ‘Macklemore’, is one of the most promising rappers in Hollywood during the early 2000s. Yet, his journey to fame wasn’t as smooth sailing as his fans thought it was. Prior to his international success, he was exposed to ‘substance’ and ‘alcohol’ abuse at a very young age. In the newest ‘The Diary of the CEO’ podcast, the musician has shared once again his journey through the hardest battles of his life and career and the steps he has taken to overcome ‘addiction.’
In the said podcast, which was uploaded last week, the 39-year-old performer opened up about the feelings of ‘elation’ and ‘freedom’ when he allowed himself to indulge in drugs and alcohol. Macklemore started drinking liquor at the age of 14, and he described it as a ‘crazy first time’ as he had to run away from the cops and have different ways up his sleeves to keep his life away from the bigger troubles of reality.
“It was the first time in my life where I felt an escape… from my head. It was like… I don’t even know, but I just felt a retrieve, I felt this like this elation, this moment, of like all of these thoughts in my head are gone and I’m here in this battle, and no one’s around,” he said — informing the audience that he felt so ‘free’ during this season.
As he fought his hardest battles, Macklemore revealed that engaging in substance abuse affected his musical career negatively.
“Drugs and alcohol affected me being prolific, absolutely. It’s taken away worth-taking moments. It’s taken away seasons, years of time where I could’ve been focused, where I could’ve been building momentum, but instead, I chose the path of instant gratification,” the singer explained.
When he was asked about a piece of advice that he would like to give to his younger self, Macklemore said he didn’t want to discredit all the experiences that led him to the person that he is today:
“I don’t think that I would’ve warned that 14-year-old, maybe I would’ve. I think that, but I don’t think I would’ve done anything, you know what I mean? Like, maybe that conversation would’ve looked like, “Bro, you’re an addict, you’re never gonna shut this off, this gonna cause way more pain than good, but at the same time, I can’t discredit the experiences that I’ve had that have led me to this table right there in this moment.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the singer was candid about his struggles with substance misuse. He also shared on an ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast that he relapsed.
In a concert held in Las Vegas in 2021, Macklemore admitted to the audience that he was an addict, but he was now in the recovery stage; he had a partnership with CLEAN CAUSE, a beverage company, to help other people who are coping with a substance use disorder (SUD).
Macklemore also talked about his most recent album, “Ben,” which is way different from his previous album releases. In his latest track, the rapper slash pop singer has found himself on the other side of the music industry, just like how he evolved from an addict to a person who’s now more concerned with his family’s opinions than critics.
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