Ben Haggerty, a Seattle-based rapper better known as Macklemore, has joined an elite club of recording artists due to the recent success of his hit single, “Thrift Shop.” By topping the Billboard Hot 100, “Thrift Shop” becomes the first indie hit to top the charts in nearly two decades, according to TIME.

By doing so, Macklemore joins an elite club of recording artists, as the achievement marks only the second time in music history that an artist has topped the Billboard Hot 100 without a record label. TIME says that the only other member of this exclusive group is folk-pop singer Lisa Loeb.  

In his songs, Macklemore’s low opinion of record labels is clear. According to TIME, Macklemore rapped the following line on a song titled “Jimmy Iovine:” “I’d rather be a starving artist than succeed at getting f***ed.”

During a recent phone interview with MTV News, Macklemore admitted that the wild success of “Thrift Shop” came as a complete surprise.

“Never, never, absolutely not,” Macklemore said when asked if he ever thought “Thrift Shop” would become so popular. “I thought it was going to be like a niche demographic that some of our fanbase would like. I never thought that it would be much more than that.”

According to the rapper, the song’s success is due in part to its focus on bargain shopping instead of buying expensive cars, boats and houses like a lot of rap songs. In the song, Macklemore raps about hunting for bargains.

“I think hip-hop goes in waves, and it’s something that’s different. It’s a concept. It’s obviously against the status quo of what people normally rap about. This is a song that goes against all of that. How much can you save? How fresh can you look by not looking like anybody else? And on top of that, you have an infectious beat and a hook that gets stuck in people’s heads,” Macklemore said.

“Thrift Shop’s” success isn’t the only good news in Macklemore’s life. The rapper recently proposed to girlfriend Trisha Davis.

“After 7 years… I asked. And she said yes. The love of my life,” he tweeted along with a photo of the ring.

Will this be Macklemore’s only appearance on the Billboard Hot 100? Sound off in the comments section.

Photo credit: Olivia Blanco Photography