Macklemore Reveals He Relapsed During the Pandemic

Macklemore is opening up about his sobriety journey and struggles with addiction as the rapper revealed he experienced a relapse during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Thrift Shop” musician, 39, took to TikTok Sunday to share a video set to his new song “CHANT,” which was released Friday and features Australian singer Tones and I.

“I relapsed during the first summer of Covid. Today I have 694 days clean,” Macklemore writes over the video, adding in the caption, “Love you guys … share your stories below #recovery.” When one TIkTok user asked more about Macklemore’s struggle with addiction, he answered in the comments that he struggles with using “anything that makes me feel different.” When another fan shared how proud of him they were, Macklemore simply wrote in response, “Appreciate you.”

@macklemore

Love you guys ❤️… share your stories below #recovery #chant

♬ CHANT (feat. Tones And I) – Macklemore

In “CHANT,” Macklemore raps, “I’m from the underground, anything above ground is a mountain/I’m done tryna impress anybody but the heavens where I’m headed/You don’t get to hold on me your flowers/I am in my zonе, eyes on the thronе.” He continues, “20k deep, better pull out your phones/Turnin’ the arena to believers every time I hit the ceiling/Ain’t nobody ever touchin’ my show/Look at where we started, look at where we got to/Almost OD’d that night in the hospital/Wasn’t gonna die, more life in the arsenal/Got another shot to pull off the impossible.” 

The Grammy winner has been open about his sobriety over the years, sharing that he first began treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in 2008 and had suffered relapses in 2011 and 2014. In a 2021 appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, the “Can’t Hold Us” artist said he struggled with his sobriety when his 12-step meetings first became virtual.

“It was within two months of my COVID relapse, and the disease of addiction is crazy,” he told Shepard at the time. “I’ve spent most of the last 11 years in recovery, and it’s made me who I am,” he said. “I’ve compromised my life and other people around me, I’ve done things that I’m not proud of, but I do have that foundational level of 10 years of recovery, and I’m f-ing proud of that.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call the National Drug Helpline at (844) 289-0879.