The Thrift Shop hitmaker, real name Ben Haggerty, welcomed his first child with fiancee Tricia Davis in May (15), and was photographed posing with young fans in his Seattle, Washington neighbourhood while wearing a baby carrier as a tot slept on his chest, but there was no official birth announcement at the time.

Now the hip-hop star has confirmed his kid's arrival by taking to Instagram to share the artwork for Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' new single, Growing Up (Sloan's Song), which features Ed Sheeran.

Explaining the inspiration behind the track, MACklemore writes, "Our daughter, Sloane Ava Simone Haggerty, was born two months ago on May 29th...

"There is nothing like the joy and happiness that comes from bringing a baby into this universe. She has filled my heart in ways that I never knew were possible. She is the love of my life. This song is for her."

The single's artwork features little Sloan clutching her father's left thumb, while the photo also suggests MACklemore has recently made Davis his wife, because he is wearing what appears to be a gold wedding band on his left ring finger.

The rapper previously hinted at the nuptials on 27 June (15), when he simply tweeted, "Feels like a good day to get married".

The longtime couple became engaged in 2013.

The happy news and new music emerges a week after MACklemore revealed he suffered a relapse in his sobriety battle last year (14), when he fell into the habit of using sleeping pills to help him relax. The substance abuse problem delayed work on the rap duo's new album, but MACklemore claimed he forced himself to get clean again after learning Davis was pregnant in late 2014.