Answer Addiction

Tag: Macklemore

  • Macklemore: Sobriety Brought Me Closer To My Mother-In-Law

    Macklemore: Sobriety Brought Me Closer To My Mother-In-Law

    Macklemore took to Instagram to celebrate his improved relationship with his mother-in-law. 

    Rapper Macklemore has seen an improvement in his relationship with his mother-in-law ever since getting sober, as chronicled in an Instagram post of the pair hanging out in Paris together.

    “Out here in Paris with my mama in law. Glowed up. Grown up. She used to not trust my ass at all, as I’d sneak in and out of her house to visit @baba_g on the late night,” he wrote in the caption of his post. “Now we in Paris eating appetizers, shopping, walking the city and looking out the window at the Eiffel Tower. Life is good. Change is good. I love her beyond words. And I think she likes me now.”

    The musician was referring to his spouse, Tricia Davis, who goes by the handle @baba_g on Instagram.

    Cynical voices descended on Macklemore’s post, pointing out how convenient it was that his mother-in-law seemed to get along now that he’s dropping tons of cash on her on an expensive trip to France.

    “Amazing what a few million dollars can do,” wrote one such commenter.

    It Wasn’t About The Money

    However, the “Thrift Shop” singer insisted it wasn’t the money that changed things.

    “Although money is nice, it unfortunately can’t keep you sober. And when I got sober that’s when our relationship changed. Money had nothing to do with it,” he clarified on the post. “(But yet, Paris is hella expensive and these euros adding up)”

    Macklemore has spoken openly about his troubled relationship with drugs, which began as early as 14 years old and only got worse as he became more famous. “There was a rapid transition and to have the world’s eye on me all at once with back-to-back number ones, and all the accolades that came with it—I didn’t know how to deal with it,” Macklemore said in an interview last year. “I didn’t know how to adjust, so I escaped.”

    Since then, the singer has become sober and has advocated for the recovery community, including headlining the first ever Recovery Fest 2018 as well as earning a MusiCares award in recognition of his advocacy work.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Macklemore To Receive MusiCares Award For Addiction Recovery Work

    Macklemore To Receive MusiCares Award For Addiction Recovery Work

    The rapper has been vocal about his personal experience with addiction and recovery.

    Rapper and songwriter Macklemore will be the next musician to receive the annual Stevie Ray Vaughan Award from the MusiCares Foundation for his ongoing advocacy for those with substance use disorders.

    Macklemore himself is in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and has been quite vocal about his own struggles with the disease.

    Macklemore became widely known for his activism in 2012 with the release of his single “Same Love” with Ryan Lewis. The song voiced strong support for LGBTQ rights and same-sex marriage, which was legalized in his home state of Washington that same year.

    In 2012, the rapper also spoke out about his addiction issues in a short documentary by Jabari Johnsonand released the song “Starting Over,” about a relapse he suffered in 2011.

    “Those three-plus years, I was so proud of,” Macklemore says in the song, “Then I threw them all away for two Styrofoam cups. The irony, everyone will think that ‘He lied to me.’ Made my sobriety so public, there’s no f—ing privacy.”

    Macklemore checked himself into rehab in 2008 and has been open about his experiences ever since he first topped the charts with “Thrift Shop.”

    In 2016, he produced an MTV documentary on the opioid epidemic titled Prescription for Change that included conversations with then-President Obama. In the same year, he appeared at one of Obama’s weekly addresses to speak out about addiction stigma.

    “When you’re going through it, it’s hard to imagine anything being worse than addiction,” he said. “But the shame and stigma associated with the disease keeps too many people from seeking the help they actually need. Addiction isn’t a personal choice or a personal failure.”

    On May 16 of this year, he will perform at the MusiCares Concert for Recovery in Los Angeles, where he will be given the award. According to CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares, Neil Portnow, the award is well deserved.

    “Macklemore’s artistic gifts are clearly recognized, as evidenced by the celebration of his music by fans all around the world,” said Portnow. “In addition to his musical contributions, we’re honoring him for what he has done since the beginning of his career—shine a light on his own struggles with addiction as a beacon of hope for those who suffer. It is a powerful testament to his talent and his generosity of spirit.”

    Other Washingtonian musical artists to receive the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award include Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave. Cornell died by suicide in 2017, a tragedy that his wife attributes to his use of prescription drugs.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Macklemore Headlines First-Ever Recovery Fest 2018

    Macklemore Headlines First-Ever Recovery Fest 2018

    The festival also featured free naloxone training, guest speakers in between sets, yoga, meditation and meetings before the event.

    Seattle rapper in recovery, Macklemore, could relate to the crowd at the first-ever Recovery Fest last Saturday (Sept. 29). The Grammy-winning artist was in the lineup at the alcohol and drug-free music festival at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

    The event was hosted by the Above The Noise Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to hosting similar events that provide a music festival experience without drugs or alcohol. Proceeds will benefit local addiction and recovery organizations.

    This year’s Recovery Fest, in addition to its artist lineup including Macklemore and Fitz & The Tantrums, featured free naloxone training, guest speakers in between sets, yoga, meditation, and meetings before the event. Even Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo made an appearance.

    As reported by the Newburyport Current, jazz musician Grace Kelly performed a rendition of “Amazing Grace” with guitarist George McCann—while a list of people lost to addiction scrolled on the screen behind them.

    When Macklemore (born Benjamin Haggerty) hit the stage, he asked the crowd how many people were in recovery, and “easily more than half the crowd raised their hands,” according to the Newburyport Current.

    “You know you’re at a recovery fest, when you look out and see hella clouds of vape smoke,” the rapper joked.

    Among Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ upbeat hit songs like “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us,” the rapper performed the song “Kevin,” about losing a friend to drug overdose in 2008. “He was gonna quit tomorrow, we’re all gonna quit tomorrow,” the song goes. “Just get us through the weekend, and then Monday follows…”

    The Seattle rapper himself has been in recovery from opioid use disorder for about a decade, and is vocal about his experience. In 2014, he suffered a public relapse as his fame grew.

    “I held it together for a while. But, eventually, I stopped going to my 12-step meetings,” he told Complex in 2015. “I was burnt out. I was super stressed. We weren’t sleeping—doing a show every day, zigzagging all over the country.”

    His family inspired him to get it together. “Addiction—I think that’s the thing that always reminds me I could lose all of this at any minute. If I stop prioritizing the daily recovery program that I do to maintain sobriety… I will lose it all,” he said this year.

    View the original article at thefix.com