With 10 minutes left until show time, fans chanted “Go Green, Go White!” to welcome their guest — but this was no sporting event.

They craved the presence of Seattle native Ben Haggerty, now known as Macklemore.

Upon his entrance, the rapper instantly felt the love.

“You people put goosebumps on my arms already,” he screamed to the crowd. “There is nothing like performing at a place like Michigan State and seeing an arena full of people.”

Sponsored by ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, Macklemore and his producer Ryan Lewis co-hosted a concert Tuesday at Breslin.

Although not quite sold out, concertgoers filled a majority of the upper and lower bowls.

“We wanted to do something students would love,” said Kiran Samra, ASMSU’s director of marketing. “There was a huge buzz on campus with Macklemore, so we knew he would be a good route to go.”

A loyal fan base
Ever since she bustled her way through a sold-out show in Ann Arbor to see Macklemore in 2011, there was no turning back for advertising freshman Amy Ruimveld.

“He has so much energy on stage, and you can tell in his songs that he’s passionate,” Ruimveld said. “He feeds off the fans and they feed off him. It’s a great atmosphere.”

Although she missed the independent artist’s November performance at The Loft in Lansing, her absence only made Ruimveld more determined to attend Tuesday’s concert.

“I don’t listen to a lot of rappers, but his lyrics are really meaningful — they’re more than just women, drugs and sex,” she said. “He has some more of the party songs you can dance to, but a lot of them have deeper meaning.”

When it comes to an artists’ success, Kenny Kerner, the music business program director at Musicians Institute, in Hollywood, said the fans are all that matter.

“The key in any situation is the fan base,” said Kerner, who is credited for discovering mega rock band Kiss. “The fans make everything happen. After they finish performing, instead of popping a beer and lighting up a cigarette backstage, good artists go into the audience, take names and shake hands.”

Early roots
Before his takeoff into mainstream rap, Macklemore made himself known in Lansing.

In 2008, he performed at Mac’s Bar.

When he returned last November to The Loft, Fusion Shows owner Nate Dorough said the vibe about the rapper had changed.

“There was definitely some buzz there,” Dorough said. “We looked back and thought to ourselves: Is this the same Macklemore we did all those years ago?”

Bill Barrett, marketing manager at The Loft, looks upon the show fondly as one of the most memorable at the venue.

“He was really interactive with the crowd,” Barrett said. “When they played ‘Thrift Shop,’ someone brought a big fur coat. He wore it for the whole performance, then gave it back to the guy afterwards.”

A deeper meaning
Among his fans, Macklemore has become known for hiding a deeper meaning behind the comedy and flair of his party anthem hits.

Although most students know “Thrift Shop,” his most recent single from his newest album, “The Heist,” Ruimveld said songs, such as “Same Love,” a ballad that addresses stigmas against homosexuality, are more telling of his character.

“When that song came out, I could not stop listening to it,” she said. “Everyone knows ‘Thrift Shop,’ but a lot of people can relate to his more down-to-earth songs. He sings about real life: working hard, his struggle with (drug) addiction, his hometown. He has something a lot of people can connect with.”

Above all, Dorough said Macklemore has embraced a concept that has become scarce in the music industry — humility.

“Hip-hop is known for having a different kind of theme to it, usually a bit more aggressive,” he said. “At the show itself (at The Loft), he was so completely humble. … He wanted to take care of the people around him, and that’s a cool vibe to get from a rapper.”