Macklemore faced an ultimatum of taking drugs or making music - and he chose to write songs.
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
The rapper - whose real name is Ben Haggerty - is back with his producer-partner Ryan Lewis with fresh LP 'This Unruly Mess I've Made' and the track 'Kevin', which features Leon Bridges, deals with his own battle with substance abuse, a fight which he is currently winning.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper, he said: "It's a deeply personal album of self-scrutiny ... I will always be a drug addict and an alcoholic. I don't think anyone or anything can save me from that. And there was a time when I had to choose one or the other. Did I want to get high and escape or did I want to commit to my music and make an album? So I chose this album. And getting sober was what I needed to wake up."
In previous interviews Macklemore admitted he was burnt out following the non-stop touring he was committed to.
And with the pressure and the lack of sleep that comes with being on the road taking its toll, he started drinking and taking drugs.
He has been clean since a stint in rehab in 2008 and a brief relapse in 2011, which he describes in his song 'Starting Over'.
And now he's clear-headed and focused on what he wants in his life he says he's never going to change.
Macklemore - whose first album with Lewis, 'The Heist', became a hit all over the world - said: "After all the success, there were people who loved me and people who hated me. It was important to step back ... I had to remind myself of the values and principles that I stand for, and once I did know that I will never now change."
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