Seattle-based rapper Macklemore has been named Source magazine Man of the Year and opened up about the success he has found in the music industry so far. 

In the accompanying interview, Macklemore explained that when his material moved from the underground scene out into the mainstream people were wary of him because of his background:

"People are going to be skeptical. I'm a white dude from Seattle. People are rightfully skeptical of white people making hip-hop. They're gonna say, 'Let me hear him rap. Let me hear an interview.' Before we sold a million copies of the album, when it was just 'Thrift Shop,' before it became massive, they were putting us in a box."

"The song almost got too big. People weren't able to see the rest of the album for what it was. They put us in the one-hit wonder box. And they didn't give the rest of the project room to live. People didn't do their research."

Referring specifically to the popularity of 'Thrift Shop', Macklemore added that it's tough because it has been played so much that fans seem almost tired of hearing it now: "By the time that it had sold a million copies, it was played out. Seven million. No one wants to hear it anymore. The masses beat it to death. I never thought I would have a song like that. That's the gift and the curse of radio."