Macklemore scores multiple new bestsellers as two of his biggest hits debut on the Official Singles Sales chart and return on downloads. PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 29: Macklemore performs onstage during the ibis RockCorps France 2024 at Accor Arena on May 29, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
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Macklemore generated quite a bit of controversy when he used his opening slot on Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to speak up for the Palestinian people amid the ongoing war in Gaza. After only a few dates, the Grammy-winning rapper was unceremoniously removed from the trek.
In a somewhat surprising move, the other opening acts on the Loop Tour, as well as members of Sheeran’s backing band, subsequently left the venture in solidarity with both Macklemore and the Palestinian people. A quick look at social media shows that while plenty of people agree with what Macklemore said and the fact that he took a stand at all, there are also others who have criticized his comments as antisemitic. Billionaire Robert Kraft was among the figures involved in the dispute over Macklemore’s continued participation in the tour, and he played a large role in ensuring that the hip-hop artist was fired.
Only days after he was forced off the tour, Macklemore scores multiple new bestsellers in the United Kingdom with two of his most famous tracks.
Two Macklemore Classics Become Bestsellers Again
“Can’t Hold Us” and “Thrift Shop,” both of which credit Ryan Lewis, debut on the Official Singles Sales chart this week. “Can’t Hold Us,” which also features Ray Dalton, opens at No. 36, while “Thrift Shop,” featuring Wanz, starts at No. 59.
Macklemore passes double-digit bestsellers for the first time on the Official Singles Sales chart. Before this week, he was up to nine placements, and now he has racked up 11 in total.
“Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us” helped bring Macklemore and his then-collaborator Lewis to popularity more than a decade ago. They are Macklemore’s first hits of 2026, and he has not landed a new win on the busy roster since February of last year, when “Fucked Up” launched at No. 87 and then quickly disappeared.
“Can’t Hold Us” and “Thrift Shop” Chart Together
Both “Can’t Hold Us” and “Thrift Shop” also return to the same roster, the Official Singles Downloads chart. The two cuts were Macklemore’s first hits on the tally, and they arrived in the first few months of 2013.
“Can’t Hold Us” is back at No. 34 after peaking at No. 3, while “Thrift Shop” sits just beneath the upper half of the 100-space tally at No. 55. That semi-novelty track was Macklemore’s first No. 1 and one of his two champions, alongside “These Days,” which also credits Rudimental and Jess Glynne. The smashes are also his longest-running successes on the download-only tally.
“Hind’s Hall” Reappears Just Outside the Top 10
A thematically appropriate cut, “Hind’s Hall,” reenters both rosters and sits just underneath the top 10, but it could climb in the coming days. The protest song was written in support of Palestinians and takes its title from the Columbia University building renamed by protesters in honor of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian child who was killed in Gaza.
The tune has already broken into the top 10 in the past, but it doesn’t quite reach that tier this time around. This frame, it’s back at No. 11 on the Official Singles Downloads chart and one spot further south, at No. 12, on the Official Singles Sales ranking.
“Can’t Hold Us” Nearly Returns to the Top 10
Macklemore almost claims a top 10 once more on the Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles chart with “Can’t Hold Us.” Last time around, the catchy cut sat at No. 26 and this week the hit song vaults to No. 11.
Macklemore has racked up half a dozen wins on the Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles chart, and half of them — “Thrift Shop,” “Can’t Hold Us,” and “Same Love,” his ode to marriage equality, which also features vocals from Mary Lambert — all spent time at No. 1. “Hind’s Hall” is Macklemore’s only track to fail to break into the top 10. It peaked at No. 13, where it debuted in May 2024, and only held for one week.
Two Macklemore Albums Return to the Same Chart
Two full-lengths by Macklemore reenter the same roster, dozens of spaces apart from one another. The Heist, his introductory release with Lewis, is back on the Official Album Downloads chart at No. 30. Ben, which takes its title from Macklemore’s real first name, barely makes it onto the register, coming in last place at No. 100.
Ben has only spent two weeks on the tally. It debuted at No. 18 when it was brand new in March 2023 and has not been seen since. The Heist, meanwhile, nearly cracked the top 10, stalling at No. 13, but the set managed 60 frames as one of the bestselling albums in the U.K. on download platforms. It’s his only double-digit-week charter. The Heist, which won Macklemore and Lewis multiple Grammys, launched on the download rundown in October 2012, but the project didn’t peak at No. 13 until March 2014.
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