Ryan Scott Lewis (born March 25, 1988) is an American musician and record producer based in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

. Along with producing his own album, ''Instrumentals'', Lewis produced the albums ''The VS. EP'' (2009), ''

The Heist A heist is a robbery or burglary, especially from an institution such as a bank or museum. Heist may also refer to: Places *Heist, Germany, a municipality in Schleswig-Holstein *Heist-aan-Zee, West Flanders, Belgium *Heist-op-den-Berg, Antwerp, ...

'' (2012), and ''

This Unruly Mess I've Made ''This Unruly Mess I've Made'' is the second and final studio album by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It was released on February 26, 2016, by Macklemore LLC and Alternative Distribution Alliance. Following the success of the duo's ...

'' (2016) as part of the duo

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were an American Hip hop music, hip hop duo from Seattle, Seattle, Washington, formed in 2009 by rapper MacklemoreTrust, Gary (2013)Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'Can't Hold Us' Makes Hot 100 History, ''Billboard (magazine), B ...

. He also directed 12 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis videos. In 2006, Lewis befriended rapper

Macklemore Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper. A native of Seattle, Washington, he started his career in 2000 as an independent artist rele ...

Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

and soon after became his behind-the-scenes partner, producing, recording, engineering and mixing all of the duo's music and directing the music videos for "

Same Love "Same Love" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, released as the third single from their 2012 debut studio album, '' The Heist''. The track, featuring vocals by Seattle-based singer Mary Lambert, talks about the issue of ...

", "

Thrift Shop "Thrift Shop" is a song written and performed by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring vocals from American singer Wanz, released in 2012, as the fourth single from the former's debut studio album, '' The Heist'' (2012). The lyr ...

", " And We Danced", " Otherside (Remix)", "

Can't Hold Us "Can't Hold Us" is a song written and performed by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring American singer Ray Dalton, originally released on August 16, 2011, as the second single from the duo's debut album '' The Heist'' (2012 ...

", "Irish Celebration", "My Oh My", "Victory Lap", "

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

", " Brad Pitt's Cousin" and "

White Walls "White Walls" is a hip-hop song by an American hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, taken from their collaborative debut studio album '' The Heist'' (2012). The song's hook is performed by singer Hollis, while American rapper Schoolboy Q, perfo ...

" and designing promotional graphics.

Early life

Lewis was born in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

, to Julie and Scott Lewis. Lewis has two sisters, Teresa and Laura, four years and two years older than he is, respectively. At an early age, he played guitar in rock bands with his childhood best friend Ryan Sanson, and nursed a growing interest in music production around the age of 15. Lewis attended Ferris High School in Spokane and graduated from Roosevelt High School in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. He graduated from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

majoring in Comparative History of Ideas.

Career

2006–2008: Career beginnings

Lewis became a professional photographer and

videographer Videography involves capturing moving images on electronic media (such as: videotape, direct to disk recording, or solid state storage), and can include streaming media. It encompasses both video production and post-production methods. Histori ...

. In 2008, he released his debut extended play, ''Instrumentals'', with four

alternative hip hop Alternative hip-hop (also known as alternative rap and experimental hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip-hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "hip-hop group ...

songs. In the same year, Lewis collaborated with Rhode Island–based emcee Symmetry in a self-titled work, released as an LP.

2009–2017: Career with Macklemore

Lewis first met Macklemore in 2006,Jabari Presents: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Documentary)
YouTube. Retrieved on December 30, 2012. but only in 2009 did they formalize the collaboration as the duo

and release the EP ''The VS. EP''. In October 2010, Lewis produced the ''VS. Redux'' EP and, in December, their debut single, "My Oh My". "

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...

" was released on January 21, 2011, followed by "

" featuring

Ray Dalton Raymond Adrien Dalton (born May 10, 1990) is an American singer based in Seattle, Washington. He began his career as a gospel and R&B singer. Dalton gained prominence as the featured artist on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 2011 song "Can't Hold Us" ...

on August 16, 2011. Their album ''

'' was released in October 2012. Previously released singles "My Oh My", "Wings", and "Can't Hold Us" were announced to be included on the album – as was the song "Make the Money". "Can't Hold Us" was used as soundtrack for a

Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...

beer ad in UK and Ireland in June 2012. "

" was released on July 18, 2012, and songs "

" featuring

Schoolboy Q Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. He began recording in 2007, and released his first two mixtapes, ''ScHoolboy Turned Hustla'' (2008) and '' ...

and "Jimmy Iovine" featuring

Ab-Soul Herbert Anthony Stevens IV (born February 23, 1987), better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, is an American rapper. Raised in Carson, California, he signed to indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2007, where he eventually formed We ...

were confirmed to be included on the album. ''The Heist'' debuted on the US ''Billboard'' 200 at number 2. On October 30, 2012, Lewis appeared on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

'' performing their single "Same Love" and then again on January 18, 2013, performing their single "

", which they had sung previously on ''

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of the '' Late Night'' franchise. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon,

'' on December 11, 2012. The song topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for six weeks, giving them their first number 1 hit in the US. The Heist World Tour began in August 2012 to promote ''The Heist''. On January 26, 2014, Macklemore performed "Same Love" at the

56th Annual Grammy Awards The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid co ...

, where

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe ...

read marriage vows for 33 couples who lined the aisles, including Lewis's sister, Laura, and her now husband. In January 2015, Lewis announced via Twitter that his third studio album would be released sometime in the second half of the year. On August 5, 2015, Macklemore released a song for free download titled "Growing Up (Sloane's Song)", which features

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

. On August 27, 2015, the duo released "

", featuring Eric Nally,

Kool Moe Dee Mohandas Dewese (born August 8, 1962), better known by his stage name Kool Moe Dee, is an American rapper, songwriter and actor. Considered one of the forerunners of the new jack swing sound in hip hop, he gained fame in the 1980s as a member of ...

Melle Mel Melvin Glover (born May 15, 1961), better known by his stage name Grandmaster Melle Mel or simply Melle Mel (), is an American rapper who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Career Glover began per ...

, and

Grandmaster Caz Curtis Brown (born April 18, 1960), better known by the stage names Grandmaster Caz and Casanova Fly, is an American rapper, songwriter, and DJ. He was a member of the hip hop group The Cold Crush Brothers from 1979 to the mid-1980s. He is best k ...

; it was performed at the

2015 MTV Video Music Awards The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 30, 2015. The 32nd installment of the event was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and hosted by Miley Cyrus. Taylor Swift led the nominations with a total of ten, followe ...

on August 30. "Downtown" is part of their new album, ''

'', which was released on February 26, 2016. On January 22, 2016, the duo released "

White Privilege II "White Privilege II" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis from their second album ''This Unruly Mess I've Made'' (2016). The song, a sequel to Macklemore's solo song "White Privilege" from his first album ''The Language of My ...

", the second single on "This Unruly Mess I've Made". On June 15, 2017, Macklemore announced via his official Instagram that the duo were on hiatus.

Since 2017: Other works

July 2017 saw the release of

Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. Her first major success came in 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single, "Right Round". Kesha's music and ima ...

's song "

Praying File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

", which Lewis co-wrote and produced. On August 19, 2019,

Hobo Johnson Frank Lopes Jr. (born December 22, 1994), known professionally as Hobo Johnson, is an American vocalist and frontman of the band Hobo Johnson & the LoveMakers. Hobo Johnson also delivers lyrics in the form of rap and spoken word to create his r ...

's song "Subaru Crosstrek XV" was released, which Lewis co-wrote and produced.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Remixes

* "Vipassana (Ryan Lewis Remix)" by

; from the ''VS. Redux'' EP * "Otherside (Ryan Lewis Remix)" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring

Fences A fence is a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary. Fence or fences may also refer to: Entertainment Music * Fences (band), an Amer ...

; from ''VS. Redux''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Ryan 1988 births Living people American male rappers American hip-hop record producers Grammy Award winners for rap music MTV Video Music Award winners Musicians from Seattle University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni Rappers from Seattle Musicians from Spokane, Washington American LGBTQ rights activists Alternative hip-hop musicians West Coast hip-hop musicians Underground rappers