Macklemore Opens Up About Sobriety Ahead 'The Ben Tour': 'I Don't What to Hide That'

It is no secret that Macklemore struggles with substance abuse, he has been working on his sobriety and struggles with relapses over the years.

However, this time around, he has someone to hold his hand along the way: his 7--year-old daughter, Sloane.

"Sloane's been to meetings with me. She asks me questions like, 'Daddy, how's your sober meetings going?" He shared during his appearance on "Audacy's Check In." "We talk about it."

Sloane is the rapper's first child with Tricia Davis, along with Colette Koala, 4, and Hugo Jack, 18 months.

"And I don't want to hide that because it's not something that I need to feel guilt or shame or secrecy around," Macklemore remarked.

"The whole intention is to put it out into the open... I'm not a finished product. This is what I'm working on. These are my struggles."

Macklemore's Journey to Sobriety

This is not the first time the "Thrift Shop" rapper has attempted to get his life back on track by abstaining from alcohol.

"There's this false notion that musicians are at their best when they are using a ton of drugs - that's how they channel the spirit," he once explained in an interview.

The previous year, he shared what it was like being the creative director for CLEAN Cause Sparkling Yerba Mate, a beverage company that supports people in recovery.

After abusing his body with alcohol and drugs for several years, he was jolted awake by a simple question asked by his father: "are you happy?"

"I ​​ couldn't be dishonest in that moment. The answer was that I was not happy at all. I was broken. I was desperate. He wanted to send me to treatment and shortly after that, I surrendered,"

"That was the most powerful thing I've ever done - that first surrender. Saying, 'OK, I am ready to get help and I don't think I can do this on my own.'"

While it seems like Macklemore is still working on his recovery, he is already trying to get his music career back on track.

He recently released his third studio album "Ben." The title was inspired by his real name, Benjamin Hammond Haggerty.

It took him six years to release "Ben," and it might be his most riveting, honest, and raw album yet, as it explores the time of his relapse during the lockdown.

"I don't want to inflict the pain on myself anymore to make art. It's not like I need to self-sabotage in order to create, but I think that it created some darker, more honest, and vulnerable moments on the album."

According to Live Nation, Macklemore is going to embark on "The Ben Tour," which will kick off in Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Sep. 17.

Tags

Macklemore, Sobriety