14 November 2012 - 0 Comments

Acclaimed Seattle hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis make thier debut NZ appearance this February, stopping in at Wellington's San Francisco Bath House on February 22nd and Auckland's Powerstation on the 23rd.

Macklemore (known to his mother as Ben Haggerty) has been a mainstay on the Seattle hip-hop scene since his high school days, but his obsession with the genre began much earlier.  From a ridiculously young age Haggerty and his friends would make each other mix-tapes of tracks their tender ears should probably have not been listening to.

Haggerty's social conscience was awakened by the de-facto segregation he witnessed at his own high school and adjoining neighbourhoods.  Realising that police only ever fired their guns 'in the hood', he began working in a juvenile correctional facility as part of their music therapy program.

But his own life has not been without its struggles.  An addiction to prescription painkillers led to a fallow period in the mid 2000s, but when he cleaned up in 2008 he began collaborating with Ryan Lewis which led to the eventual release in 2012 of their highly acclaimed album The Heist, which floored critics and reached #1 on the US and Australian ITunes sales charts.

The Heist is not only notable for stellar sales but also for its impassioned lyrics about everything from gay rights ('Same Love'), consumerism ('Wings') sobriety and relapsing ('Starting Over') and even his own discomfort with 'white priviledge' ('A Wake'), aided and abetted by Ryan Lewis' ' vast, daring and layered production'.  Together they have created something truly unique - an instant party-starter that also makes you think.

Thursday 21^st February – Forsyth Barr Stadium – Dunedin
Tickets from TicketDirect – On sale date TBC

Friday 22^nd February – Logan Campbell Centre – Auckland
with Homebrew
Tickets on sale Friday 23^rd November from Ticketmaster

Saturday 23^rd February – Opera House - Wellington
Tickets on sale Friday 23^rd November from Ticketek

For all show & ticketing info go to http://www.muchmoremusic.co.nz/

Watch the video for ‘Thrift Shop’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK8mJJJvaes

Watch the video for ‘Same Love’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0&feature=player_embedded

http://www.macklemore.com/

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