Macklemore says his NRL Grand Final set was 'one of the greatest honours of my career'

He may be a Grammy-award winning artist, but Macklemore has revealed last night's NRL Grand Final performance was one of his proudest moments. 

"Performing Same Love at the #NRLGF was one of the greatest honors of my career," the 34-year-old 'Thrift Shop' singer tweeted. "Thank you @NRL for the opportunity & supporting equality." 

The US rapper was the target of criticism by conservative commentators who expressed outrage after learning his pre-game set would include the 2012 hit, 'Same Love', an anthem for marriage equality.

While Ben Fordham wrote, "Here's my bit of free speech - @macklemore was great and I hope the precious snowflakes who wanted him censored survived those sweet tunes." 

Macklemore, who is straight, opened up about the inspiration behind the song in 2013 to the New York Times.

"I just wanted to hold myself accountable and hold hip-hop accountable and bring up an issue that was being pushed under the rug," he said, revealing he began composing the track after reading a news article about a teenager who committed suicide after being bullied.

He said that the language in rap music plays a role in the stigma felt by the LGB community, and that denying gay adults the right to marry also contributes to despair among gay teenagers.