Macklemore fans floored to learn they've been pronouncing rapper's name wrong
Macklemore has been making music for about 25 years now, but some music fans have only just realised they've been pronouncing his name all wrong the entire time...
Macklemore has contributed his rapping skills to numerous major hits throughout his 25-year career, but many fans remain uncertain about the correct pronunciation of his stage name. The artist, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, adopted the Macklemore moniker when he launched his career in 2000, though he didn't achieve global stardom until teaming up with producer Ryan Lewis to create the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in 2009.
The pair became famous for their 2013 hit Thrift Shop, and collectively earned four Grammy Awards at the 2014 ceremony, including Best New Artist. However, a quarter-century after Macklemore's debut and more than a decade following his biggest success, social media users are just now discovering the proper way to say his name.
In a TikTok clip posted by a user named Eleanor, she explained she had recently learned the correct pronunciation of Macklemore's stage name and confessed to mispronouncing it for more than 10 years.
She disclosed the name should be spoken as three distinct syllables, like "Mack-le-more," rather than compressing the initial portion to sound like tackle, as in "Mackle-more."
Eleanor stated in her video: "No, because how was I supposed to know? How was I supposed to know? What do you mean it's 'Mack-le-more'? Is he a mid-tier French noble? I don't think so!"
Viewers responding to the video were split on the issue. Numerous people admitted they were also unaware of the rapper's correct name pronunciation, while others pointed out his name is clearly spoken in Thrift Shop, suggesting supporters of the song should already know.
One person exclaimed: "It's not Mackle-more?! Who is saying it Mack-le-more?!"
Another wrote: "You're telling me his name has been Mack Lemore this whole time, and I thought it was Mackle More?"
But someone else countered: "I'm so confused, I've always said Mack-le-more and never once did I think it was Mackle-more. How did you guys come to this conclusion?"
Another also pointed out: "It's literally said in the song. 'Hey Macklemore, can we go thrift shopping?'"
Macklemore came up with his stage name during a graphic arts class in school, where he was tasked with coming up with an action figure he had to name. He named the figure Professor Macklemore and used that as his stage name before eventually dropping the Professor part.
Speaking on an episode of On Air With Ryan Seacrest in 2017, he shared: "I was assigned an action figure in graphic arts class, and we had to name him, and I named him Professor Macklemore.
"That summer, I went to Brooklyn, New York, for an art program when I was 17, and I would go to thrift shops and dress up in random old clothes. I would go out in Brooklyn, and I would call myself Professor Macklemore, and that's where it all started."
During the same interview, he also addressed people pronouncing his name incorrectly, expressing regret over his choice of rap name.
He clarified: "It's very confusing. If I could go back and change my rap name, I would definitely do it."