0:00:04 > 0:00:06Can you say, "Welcome to Seattle?"
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Welcome to Seattle!
0:00:11 > 0:00:16'I'm DJ Semtex, hip-hop DJ for BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17'Semtex.'
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Right now, it's time for three hours of the sickest,
0:00:22 > 0:00:24most hot, banging hip-hop around.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'This is day one of the Sepoy Seattle-based hip-hop duo
0:00:27 > 0:00:29'Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on my show.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33'I was there to interview them at one of their very early shows
0:00:33 > 0:00:35'way back in 2012.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37'You know what? Things didn't go exactly to plan.'
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Mack... Mack Maine is going to be performing tonight with Ryan Lewis.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43EERIE MUSIC
0:00:43 > 0:00:45GUNSHOT
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Did you just call me Mack Maine?
0:00:49 > 0:00:51LAUGHTER
0:00:56 > 0:00:57'Since then, they've gone on to become
0:00:57 > 0:00:59'one of the biggest hip-hop acts in the world,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02'selling millions of copies of their debut album, The Heist,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06'winning Grammy awards, playing the biggest venues across the world
0:01:06 > 0:01:09'and racking up over a billion video hits YouTube.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12'What's most impressive is that they've done it
0:01:12 > 0:01:15'all by themselves, done it independently, with no record deal,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17'just their very own hand-picked team.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21'So now I'm setting off to the US to visit the band
0:01:21 > 0:01:23'in their hometown of Seattle.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27'We're going to hang out in their private studio.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29'We're going to sit down with Macklemore and Ryan.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32'We're going to check out the sights and sounds of Seattle
0:01:32 > 0:01:34'that inspire their music.'
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Pacific Northwest!
0:01:36 > 0:01:39'And meet the inspirational family behind one of the biggest
0:01:39 > 0:01:41'independent successes the music industry has ever seen.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44'This is the story of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46'A Seattle State Of Mind.'
0:01:56 > 0:01:59VARIOUS VOICES: 'First memories of Seattle hip-hop was...
0:01:59 > 0:02:02'I remember the Sit & Spin... Listening to Rap Attack...'
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Just touched down in Seattle.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06That's right, it's official, Semtex in Seattle,
0:02:06 > 0:02:07it's the first time ever been here.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09I'm here to see Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11I'm going to go to their complex, which...
0:02:11 > 0:02:14They don't really invite a lot of people down there.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17It's kind of an elusive place, it's very much under wraps,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19so I'm going to make my way there,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21but before I do that, I've got to go shopping.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29RAPPING: 1995, the Division Series
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Edgar's up to bat, bottom of the 11th inning
0:02:32 > 0:02:33Got the whole town listening
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Swung on and belted the words that started
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Joey Cora rounds third
0:02:37 > 0:02:38Here comes Griffey
0:02:38 > 0:02:40The throw to the plate's not in time
0:02:40 > 0:02:42My oh my, the Mariners win it Yes
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Fireworks, they lit up that ceiling...
0:02:47 > 0:02:49- Semtex! - Yo!
0:02:49 > 0:02:50What's going on, man? You all right?
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Welcome to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis headquarters.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01This is where the magic happens.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02That's the hat from Thrift Shop, right?
0:03:02 > 0:03:04That is the hat from Thrift Shop.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11This is our closet where we keep all the clothes we bring on tour,
0:03:11 > 0:03:12those are the costumes.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16This first one, as you probably recognise, is Sir Raven Bowie...
0:03:16 > 0:03:18- Yeah. - ..in all its glory.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Does he wear that offstage, nights out, as well?
0:03:22 > 0:03:24LAUGHING: Only on Thursdays.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29This is a pinball machine that was given to us by a promoter
0:03:29 > 0:03:31after we sold out three nights at KeyArena,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34which was an amazing accomplishment.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39That is the diving board that we used for the video Arrows,
0:03:39 > 0:03:40that just dropped.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41RAPPING: And I'm so tired
0:03:41 > 0:03:42Swore that I wouldn't stare into the light
0:03:42 > 0:03:44And guess who tried to
0:03:44 > 0:03:45Shit, I'm blinded by this...
0:03:45 > 0:03:49This is where the Rolling Stone cover shoot took place.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51This is where it happened, if you feel that energy and aura.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55And that must be the hard drive with the Arrows video on it, right?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Yes. 48 hours ago, this entire floor was littered
0:03:58 > 0:04:01with mattresses and computers and staff,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03trying to make sure that this video came out today,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07so you guys came as we have now been able to finally clean it up.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11- You guys want to see Ben and Ryan? - Yeah.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12All right.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19- Hey! - What's going on, man?
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- Cool. - Good to see you, man.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25- I like the sweatshirt! - Yo! Representing!
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Brand-new!
0:04:27 > 0:04:29DJ SEMTEX LAUGHS Went shopping straightaway.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33You got the classic OG Mariners colourway with the pitchfork.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36- Authentic. - I do this.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38I do this! It's good to see you, man.
0:04:43 > 0:04:44I'm a little bit aghast right now
0:04:44 > 0:04:46because a lot of things have happened.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51Two years ago, we met in an alley, I got your name wrong by accident.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Anyway...
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Fast forward to two years later and we're in your own studio,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59we're in your own complex, in your hometown.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04How important is your hometown to your story?
0:05:04 > 0:05:08The hometown is everything. The hometown...
0:05:08 > 0:05:10is the foundation of it all.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Seattle.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20Seattle is a special place - city, water, mountains,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23it's like no other place in the world.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26We are in the corner up here, we are secluded from LA,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29we think that we're not like LA at all,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31we think those are just people with plastic surgery
0:05:31 > 0:05:33and, like, fake breasts
0:05:33 > 0:05:35and we just think we're more legit than that.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37# 10,000 hours
0:05:37 > 0:05:40# Felt like 10,000 hands... #
0:05:42 > 0:05:49To start making music from this region, there is not a guidebook
0:05:49 > 0:05:53like there might be for someone in New York, or someone in other places.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56This region, the Northwest, Seattle,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59is so overlooked in terms of hip-hop music.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01People hear Seattle, they immediately think Nirvana
0:06:01 > 0:06:03and grunge music
0:06:03 > 0:06:07and Starbucks and Boeing and Microsoft,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09but the last thing that forever people thought about
0:06:09 > 0:06:11was hip-hop music, so, to me,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13I've always been so proud of the scene
0:06:13 > 0:06:18and there is something very genuine and authentic
0:06:18 > 0:06:21about the fan love here in the Northwest.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Like, one of the most pivotal parts of me and Ben's career
0:06:25 > 0:06:29was three nights sold out at the Showbox as local artists.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31That was big!
0:06:37 > 0:06:40RAPPING: Eight people turn into sold-out shows in a minute
0:06:40 > 0:06:42And I'm watching my pops in the back row grinning
0:06:42 > 0:06:45With his glass up to my mom Toasting his Guinness...
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Welcome to the Showbox. We're in beautiful downtown Seattle.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51It's an iconic venue, the Showbox.
0:06:51 > 0:06:541,200 people, it's a big show.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57When they did three sold-out shows here at the Showbox,
0:06:57 > 0:06:58what were those shows like?
0:06:58 > 0:07:02You could feel it, that it was just 100% devotion.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04While he's rapping, everybody's going nuts
0:07:04 > 0:07:08and between songs it's dead silent and he's basically preaching,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10and Mix-a-Lot got on stage
0:07:10 > 0:07:13and did this, like, ceremonial passing of the baton.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16The reason why we are able to step on stage tonight
0:07:16 > 0:07:19is because he paved the way and laid the foundation
0:07:19 > 0:07:24for what this night is right now, and that is Sir Mix-a-Lot.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29Then Mix-a-Lot said, you know, "You've got it now, so run with it
0:07:29 > 0:07:31"and, basically, I was the big dog, but now you're the big dog."
0:07:31 > 0:07:36The Prince of Seatown, Macklemore, I hand you this baton
0:07:36 > 0:07:38and run, baby, run, man.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42'There was the succession of rap royalty in Seattle.'
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Seattle for life, y'all.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50It just felt...felt like a moment.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53'While I'm in town, I want to
0:07:53 > 0:07:56'find out more about the Seattle hip-hop scene.
0:07:56 > 0:07:57'I'm on my way to hook up
0:07:57 > 0:07:59'with three of the hottest up-and-coming MCs.'
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- What's going on, guys? - What's going on?
0:08:12 > 0:08:14So, tell me about Seattle hip-hop.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Who was the first person you heard that rapped where you're from?
0:08:16 > 0:08:20I just remember seeing Sir Mix-a-Lot, that's like the first person
0:08:20 > 0:08:22I heard, you know, from the town.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24HE RAPS: I like big butts and I cannot lie
0:08:24 > 0:08:26You other brothers can't deny...
0:08:26 > 0:08:27Yeah, it's a small city,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30so we all really grew up in kind of the same area
0:08:30 > 0:08:32and we all kick it with each other, you know,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34so it's been a natural collaboration of everybody.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36THEY RAP: Haters looking stupid throwing shade up on the sun
0:08:36 > 0:08:37I want my gang Where you at?
0:08:37 > 0:08:38I don't know any more
0:08:38 > 0:08:41My whole buzz came through the body when she opened the door
0:08:41 > 0:08:43And if you're down with the freak I'll be your man for the week
0:08:43 > 0:08:46They're messing round behind your back...
0:08:46 > 0:08:48We don't have, really, like an accent, you know,
0:08:48 > 0:08:49anything distinguishing to...
0:08:49 > 0:08:53You know, unless we say it, like, if you're someone from the east coast,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55you know, with the accent, OK, he's from the east coast.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57You're down south, but, you know... You kind of have to let it be known.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01I'm from Seattle, not Cali, not Portland, I'm from Seattle.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04THEY RAP: It's more gang, you bitch Now, where you at?
0:09:04 > 0:09:06THEY LAUGH
0:09:06 > 0:09:07- Huh? - Yeah.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12NEWSREADER: Chad Butler, known as Pimp C,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14died in a Los Angeles hotel room.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17The LA County Coroner's office ruled the rapper's death accidental
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and attributed it to a combination of...
0:09:20 > 0:09:23SECOND NEWSREADER: ..apnoea and syrup and we know that syrup on the streets
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- usually has codeine. - Absolutely.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28We have a problem now with the cough syrup epidemic.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33The point that it clicks for me personally...
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Otherside was huge.
0:09:36 > 0:09:43It was...the first song that we put out that got an immense reaction.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52The first video we did together was a song called Otherside.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54One of the most powerful songs I've ever heard.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Wake up, cold sweat, scratching, itching
0:09:57 > 0:09:58Trying to escape the skin...
0:09:58 > 0:10:01I mean, this was a person who went to rehab
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and had been trying to get sober for a long time
0:10:04 > 0:10:09and he was probably the first rapper to make a song not glorifying syrup
0:10:09 > 0:10:14and so he shared his perspective on his own addiction.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17In the beginning of the video, you see a group of teenagers
0:10:17 > 0:10:21in the back of a car doing drugs, and that's how it started
0:10:21 > 0:10:24and it was fun and it was relational and it was social, and very quickly
0:10:24 > 0:10:28you see it deteriorate to this thing where he's in a room by himself.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33I think his level of vulnerability on a record was really hard.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35And trust me, it's not dope
0:10:35 > 0:10:37To be 25 and moved back to your parents' basement...
0:10:37 > 0:10:39So, for me as his producer,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43I learned who Ben was, I think, through that song.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49At what point were you like,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53"All right, we need to focus and commit to making The Heist?"
0:10:53 > 0:10:57The true beginning of The Heist... I mean, Can't Hold Us I made in 2007.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58That caught my attention.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01I discovered that track for myself and I was like, "This is dope!"
0:11:01 > 0:11:03# So we throw our hands up... #
0:11:15 > 0:11:19I got involved with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis by Ryan Lewis.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22He hit me up on Facebook, had me come in the studio
0:11:22 > 0:11:25and I met Ben and...
0:11:25 > 0:11:27I just made a bunch of melodies and Ben was, like,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30"Wait, do that again," and he instantly was like...
0:11:32 > 0:11:33"Here, sing this," and I was like...
0:11:33 > 0:11:37# Can we go back? This is the moment... #
0:11:37 > 0:11:39And it happened like that, like snap.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41# Can we go back?
0:11:41 > 0:11:42# This is the moment
0:11:42 > 0:11:43# Tonight is the night
0:11:43 > 0:11:45# We'll fight till it's over
0:11:45 > 0:11:50# So we put our hands up like this ceiling can't hold us
0:11:50 > 0:11:52# Like this ceiling can't hold us
0:11:52 > 0:11:53# Can we go back? This is... #
0:11:53 > 0:11:56I was like, "What if I sing 'Macklemore'
0:11:56 > 0:11:57"in, like, an operatic voice?"
0:11:57 > 0:12:01So I was trying to, like, impress him and I was like...
0:12:01 > 0:12:03# Mackle-e-e-e-e-more.... #
0:12:03 > 0:12:05And he was like, "Yeah, we've got to keep that."
0:12:05 > 0:12:08# Mackle-e-e-e-e-more.... #
0:12:10 > 0:12:15Nearly overnight, boom, everything just blew up.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Every year, every month would just get better, bigger and crazier.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21And it was insane.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25DJ SEMTEX: Let's take it back to the beginning.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33# Back in the days...
0:12:33 > 0:12:35# I remember... #
0:12:35 > 0:12:40Now, before the success that you've had, before The Heist,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42how did you first meet Macklemore?
0:12:42 > 0:12:46So, I found him on MySpace and friend-requested him,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49in which he sent me a message, and for me,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53at, like, 15 or 16 years old, I was like, "Whoa!"
0:12:53 > 0:12:57I don't even know why I clicked on his profile,
0:12:57 > 0:12:58but for some reason I did.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01He wanted a beat, but more honestly,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03he wanted this sample that I flipped.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Yeah, the drums weren't that tight.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06HE LAUGHS
0:13:06 > 0:13:08So we met up at my parents' house.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Ryan is like, "Hey, nice to meet you."
0:13:10 > 0:13:14I was like, "This kid is so high on ADD medicine right now."
0:13:14 > 0:13:17I just showed him photography, I showed him graphic design,
0:13:17 > 0:13:18I showed him more beats.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22He couldn't focus on one thing, he's showing me everything he does,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25he's like, "I take pictures, I do video, I make beats,"
0:13:25 > 0:13:27like, "This is my dog. Meet my cat."
0:13:27 > 0:13:32I'm like, "This kid is crazy." And I had never met a kid like that.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42'So, right now I'm on my way to the thrift shop
0:13:42 > 0:13:46'to meet the singer behind one of Macklemore and Ryan's biggest hits,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48'but you know what? I'm starving!'
0:13:48 > 0:13:51# Off-black Cadillac, midnight drive
0:13:51 > 0:13:56# Got that gas pedal Lean back, taking my time... #
0:13:56 > 0:13:57As you can see,
0:13:57 > 0:14:02I'm outside the big diner that was featured in the White Walls video.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Everybody who I've met in Seattle is saying,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07"You've got to go here, you've got to get one of the burgers."
0:14:07 > 0:14:10You're going to have to excuse me, I'm going to turn into a savage.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12I'm about to demolish something right now.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18# I got that off-black Cadillac, midnight drive... #
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Hi. Yeah, yeah, I'm all good. Can I get a double cheeseburger and fries?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- Cheeseburger? - Yeah.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Thank you. Yeah, yeah. Dope, thanks a lot.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32Tyres with the spokes on and the vogues too
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Mustard and mayonnaise keeping the buns on 'em
0:14:35 > 0:14:37My dog's hanging out the window I'm trying to blow my mind...
0:14:37 > 0:14:41As cheeseburgers go, it's cool.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44It's not knocking me out.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47It's all right, though.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52- You're not from Seattle, are you? - Not at all. I'm clearly not!
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Wanz - singer, Thrift Shop.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59# I'm gonna pop some tags
0:14:59 > 0:15:02# Only got 20 in my pocket
0:15:02 > 0:15:04# I'm hunting, looking for a come-up
0:15:04 > 0:15:06# This is awesome... #
0:15:06 > 0:15:09The hit record that you appeared on is called Thrift Shop.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11What exactly is it about?
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Ben always shopped at thrift shops
0:15:13 > 0:15:17to find stuff that wasn't the typical look.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Headed to the mezzanine Dressed in all in pink
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Except my gator shoes, those are green...
0:15:22 > 0:15:25I do think that some of the shots from the video
0:15:25 > 0:15:26came from this very store.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28It was 99 cents!
0:15:28 > 0:15:30It's not very hip-hop
0:15:30 > 0:15:32to talk about buying second-hand clothes, is it?
0:15:32 > 0:15:33Well, no. I mean...
0:15:33 > 0:15:35I've never heard anyone do it before.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Right, but, you see, the thing is,
0:15:37 > 0:15:42it takes a really creative person to take something like...
0:15:43 > 0:15:46these, right?
0:15:46 > 0:15:49And then find a shirt to match it, find a hat to match it,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51find shoes to go with it.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55You get creative and, I mean, that's the kind of artist he is.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58I'mma take it grandpa style I'mma take it grandpa style
0:15:58 > 0:16:01No, for real, ask your grandpa can I have his hand-me-downs?
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- How old are you now? - I'll be 53 in October.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Thrift Shop was a big moment for you, a life-changing moment, right?
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- Completely. - The song, the video...
0:16:11 > 0:16:13How did that come about?
0:16:13 > 0:16:15I was just doing my workaday thing, 8.00 to 4.30,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Monday through Friday, then all of a sudden, this happens.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21# I look incredible... #
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Then it was chance of a lifetime, everything I've ever dreamed of
0:16:24 > 0:16:26since I was, you know, six, seven years old,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28I'd always dreamed about touring
0:16:28 > 0:16:30and I always dreamed about being on a big stage,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33being an award shows, being on television shows.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36# This is This is my song... #
0:16:36 > 0:16:39And in the last year, it's because of Thrift Shop,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41every single one of those things has happened.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43# This is This is our song... #
0:16:44 > 0:16:50The king of the thrift shop! WANZ!
0:17:02 > 0:17:07I said to a record exec once, "How about Macklemore?"
0:17:07 > 0:17:08And they were like, "No,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10"because he has the wrong ideology for this industry.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15I say this with humility. I don't say this cocky. I say this with honesty.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18I think that we changed the ideology of the industry.
0:17:18 > 0:17:219am, West Coast time.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25It will be your first opportunity
0:17:25 > 0:17:27to pre-order the deluxe edition of The Heist.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31It's only available at macklemoremerch.com.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35'Being unsigned, for the guys, is history being made.'
0:17:35 > 0:17:42No...huge artist is not signed. Everybody is signed.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45There was a whole period of time that we were...
0:17:45 > 0:17:49open to a record deal, but it just became more and more obvious
0:17:49 > 0:17:54over time that we could do this and we wanted to do this.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Macklemore and Ryan Lewis brought their own idea
0:17:56 > 0:17:58that we've been doing this in-house for so long,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01printing our own albums, our own T-shirts,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04doing our own videos, doing our own graphic design,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08we don't necessarily need your team or want your team.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11They could pay for the best of the best of the best
0:18:11 > 0:18:13and what they decided is they already have the best.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Owuor Arunga and Andrew Joslyn and Ray Dalton,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18all these people have been there since the beginning.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21The dancers - Anna is the same dancer that was dancing at the Showbox
0:18:21 > 0:18:23in those sold-out shows seven years ago.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25'First, it was like a team.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29'We're all in the same team, you know. And it became family.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31'We were in San Francisco last night'
0:18:31 > 0:18:33and Mary just happened to be in LA,
0:18:33 > 0:18:38she came down and she did Same Love with us for the first time in months.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Just to hear the grit in her voice gave me chicken skin
0:18:42 > 0:18:44because it was like the family was back together again.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57I mean, the first...two bars are
0:18:57 > 0:19:00"When I was in third grade, I thought that I was gay."
0:19:01 > 0:19:04When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Cos I could draw, my uncle was and I kept my room straight
0:19:07 > 0:19:08I told my mom...
0:19:08 > 0:19:11You know, some people think you're gay because you said that.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13There is like 25% of the population,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17maybe 50% of the population, thinks I'm gay cos of that bar.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Em...
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Who cares? I know my truth.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26But those that like the same sex had the characteristics
0:19:26 > 0:19:29The right-wing conservatives think it's a decision
0:19:29 > 0:19:32And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Man-made rewiring of a predisposition, playing God...
0:19:35 > 0:19:36'I had a conversation with Ben
0:19:36 > 0:19:38'and it was in one of the early stages of writing.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41'He's like, "What do you think of the song?" I was like,'
0:19:41 > 0:19:45"It pushes the boundaries of what I think and what I believe
0:19:45 > 0:19:48"and it makes me question things and...
0:19:48 > 0:19:51"it's absolutely going to cause a cultural wave."
0:19:51 > 0:19:54And I asked him a question and I was like, "Is this your hill to die on?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56"People are going to hate you for this.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58"People are going to love you for this,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00"but people are going to hate you for this."
0:20:00 > 0:20:03# Even if I try
0:20:03 > 0:20:06# Even if I wanted to
0:20:06 > 0:20:09# My love, my love, my love She keeps me warm... #
0:20:09 > 0:20:13When you were making that track, did you ever feel like, as an MC,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- that this might be a bad move? - Yeah, absolutely.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19At the time, I had, like, Schoolboy Q on the record, Ab-Soul on the record,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21I'm like, "What are they going to think, you know?
0:20:21 > 0:20:22"Are they going to want to be on the album?"
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Like, all of the hip-hop community could hate me for Same Love,
0:20:26 > 0:20:32but if I put a song out there that helps people free some of this shit
0:20:32 > 0:20:34that's in their heart or lessen some of the fear
0:20:34 > 0:20:38and some of the hatred that we've been ingrained with in our society,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41if a record can do that, that's far greater.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45RAPPING: It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Gender to skin colour The complexion of your pigment
0:20:48 > 0:20:50This same fight that led people to walk-outs and sit-ins...
0:20:50 > 0:20:54'Same Love was literally political because of the climate at the time.
0:20:54 > 0:21:00'I think a white straight person with that message in their mouth
0:21:00 > 0:21:02'is powerful to a lot of white straight people'
0:21:02 > 0:21:05who need to hear it from somebody who they can relate to.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08It made me think differently about...
0:21:08 > 0:21:12equality and about people. It changed my parents' point view.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16It culturally shifted the dynamic of our entire nation.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19# I'm not crying on Sundays I'm not crying on Sundays... #
0:21:19 > 0:21:22'People deserve to be loved.'
0:21:22 > 0:21:26# I'm not crying on Sundays
0:21:26 > 0:21:28# I'm not crying on Sundays
0:21:28 > 0:21:31# I'm not crying on Sundays
0:21:31 > 0:21:35# I'm not crying on Sundays
0:21:35 > 0:21:36# Love is kind. #
0:21:38 > 0:21:44Since we were in the alley and I was Mack Maine, it has exploded and...
0:21:44 > 0:21:48erm...I'm so grateful for it, man.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56DJ SEMTEX: A lot of independent artists now, they use a new verb
0:21:56 > 0:21:58and when you speak to them they're like,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00"Yeah, I want to Macklemore the game." Dope, right?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02- It's a verb. - It's a verb.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Yeah, it's... That's crazy.
0:22:05 > 0:22:11I think that, hopefully, if anything, our story inspires other people
0:22:11 > 0:22:14to tell the real version of themself,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17not what they think people want to hear.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19You know, whatever "Macklemoring the game" is,
0:22:19 > 0:22:20I hope that that's what that represents.
0:22:20 > 0:22:27More so than ever, you can make it in this game doing it by yourself -
0:22:27 > 0:22:33have more creative control, make more money and be happier on your own.
0:22:33 > 0:22:34# 10,000 hours
0:22:34 > 0:22:38# Felt like 10,000 hands
0:22:38 > 0:22:43# 10,000 hands, they carry me... #