Local MC Macklemore and his instrumental counterpart Ryan Lewis have scored another huge success with their latest single “Same Love,” to be released on Sub Pop as a limited 7” on July 31st in support of Music for Marriage Equality. Released digitally yesterday, the track already has nearly 135,000 listens and has been featured on notable national websites such as Boing Boing and the Huffington Post.

But “Same Love” is more important than the buzz. It finds Ben Haggerty again mining his personal experience in the hopes of educating and expanding his young audience, putting his mouth and money where his heart is. Despite originally attempting to write the song from the perspective of a bullied gay teenager, Haggerty smartly realized that wasn’t his story to tell and the impact would be greater if he just shared his. He shares how he told his Mom he was gay when he was in third grade because he was tidy and artistically gifted, hip hop’s complicated (and hopefully changing) relationship with homosexuality and the love of his uncle, who is touchingly featured with his partner on the cover of the single. Haggerty, rightly, presents gay rights as civil rights, the crescendo of the song and its impact hitting mid-song, “I might not be the same, but that’s not important, no freedom till we’re equal, damn right I support it.”

While Haggerty’s gift for educating through his earnestness has at times been wasted on the trivial (“Wings”), “Same Love” stands as his most important song since “Otherside,” his personal confession of struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. Ever a bearer of town pride, I am proud, again, to call Seattle my home and Macklemore a representation of it.

“Same Love” will also be featured on Macklemore’s debut full length The Heist out October 9th. Mackelmore and Lewis will be touring extensively behind the record, including a hometown date at WaMu Theater on October 12th.

“Same Love” is available for digital download today on iTunes, the .99 it costs will go to benefit Music for Marriage Equality.