Macklemore, Seattle Rapper, Not Happy With Oklahoma City Thunder Using 'Can't Hold Us'

Rap star Macklemore isn’t too happy with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s use of his music.

Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, rose to fame based largely on the success of his hit song “Can’t Hold Us,” which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

However, when a fan informed the Seattle native that the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder were using the song to pump up their crowd during home games, he took to Twitter to voice his objection.

“OH HELL NO,” Macklemore tweeted upon receiving the news.

For the 29-year-old, the Thunder’s mere existence is an affront to his hometown of Seattle. Before they moved to Oklahoma City, the Thunder were known as the Seattle SuperSonics, possessing a rabid fan base and a storied NBA pedigree. In 2008, the SuperSonics were sold to a new ownership group, which decided to relocate the franchise amid a torrent of fan backlash.

As a proud Seattle native, Macklemore has expressed his admiration for the city’s sports teams on many occasions. The rapper even recorded the 2011 “My Oh My” as a tribute to deceased Seattle Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus. He is also close friends with Pete Carroll, head coach of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. Thus, the Thunder’s use of “Can’t Hold Us” to motivate its new fan base isn’t exactly what Macklemore had in mind for the song.

Macklemore wasn’t the only Seattle supporter to object to the Thunder’s choice in music. Detlef Schrempf, a former SuperSonic player and local hero, tweeted “that's ours and not okc!” in reference to “Can’t Hold Us.”Mack

The rapper approved of Schrempf’s tweet, writing that it was the “best tweet of the day.”

While the Thunder have yet to address their use of the song, Macklemore doesn’t have any legal power to alter their choice in arena music