He's probably best known for his megahit "Thrift Shop" which helped Macklemore reach the top of the charts, but his struggles with addiction almost cost him his life. The 37-year-old Seattle native is known for his pop-rap releases that have amassed his success, but in a recent interview, Macklemore revealed that he wouldn't be alive if he hadn't sought help for his substance abuse issues.
The rapper-songwriter caught up with People's Party with Talib Kweli where he revisited his career highs and personal lows with the Black Star icon. "I struggled for so long as a youth and didn't know that there was a recovery community, because by nature we're in a program of being anonymous," said Macklemore. He went on to share that he initially believed he was just doing the same thing his friends were, but soon, he was waking up and immediately thinking of how he would score a fix.
"I didn't know that there was a community that was there to support, love me unconditionally, that had the same f*ckin' disease, and there is a therapeutic value of one addict to another sharing their experience, strength, and hope that saved my f*ckin' life and continues to save my life," he said. "You figure out your character defects. You say you're sorry to some people. You have a spiritual awakening and you go out and you carry that message to someone else."
"We need to make sure that people know that there's resources, more funding to get people treatment that they need because if it wasn't for my pops having the 10 or 12 racks that it was when I first went to treatment and being willing to spend that on me, I'd be f*cking dead," Macklemore added. "Like, I wouldn't be there right now and that's not to be f*cking dramatic, that's just what it is. Like, I was about to die. I just was lucky enough to go to a facility for 30 days. And people, I think, don't know that that's okay to go to treatment."
Watch a clip of Macklemore's interview below.
