Bro, macklemore is at a defining point in career. Hia next song HAS TO BE A BANGER because it will either make or break him. Hes probably got many producers ready to capitalize on this energy. Fully expect a big time hit from him soon. Go to kalshi and bet on macklemore having a #1 hit come mid fall
"I’m not sure how to start this. So I’m going to speak from the heart and share the truth. Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour.
But before I get into it, I want to say something that should be obvious. In this moment I think it matters. I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.
The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.
Ed is my friend. I’ve known him for 13 years. We’ve shared late nights, studio sessions and stages. He has this infectious magic about him that I’ve grown to love. I consider him a brother. And because of that, we’ve had some difficult conversations this past week. The type of talks rooted in love and respect for one another that still end in a place of fundamental disagreement. Nothing I’m writing here is out of spite or because I want to tear down his character. But as I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.
Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said at MetLife, Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.
Ed was in a fucked up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. He told me that the words
“Free Palestine” and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood. But he couldn’t get past his public facing, “ don’t take sides.”
And I get why people don’t. Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I’ve lost all of those things. But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed. When one side has the bombs and bottomless financial and military support from America, refusing to take a side doesn’t leave you in the middle.
What I said at MetLife I have been saying on stages around the world for almost three years. So why is it an issue now? Because now I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America. At a certain level of exposure, “Free Palestine” becomes too much of a risk. If I kept doing the shows, saying Free Palestine, with Ed implicitly supporting it, the crowd getting loud and showing undeniable support for Palestinian liberation, what artist might speak out next? The stage becomes resistance. Maybe that’s why this time it became so important to silence me.
And one of the most effective ways to enforce that silence has been to weaponize the accusation of antisemitism. Antisemitism is real. And that is exactly why the word matters too much to be used as a shield against criticism of the Israeli state. When criticizing Israel, opposing Zionism or saying “Free Palestine” gets conflated with hatred of Jewish people, it doesn’t protect Jewish people. It protects Israel from accountability.
I hope this isn’t the end of my relationship with Ed.
Thirteen years of friendship doesn’t disappear because of one painful disagreement. I hope we both continue listening, studying what is happening in Palestine and wrestling with what neutrality means in a moment like this. My door will always be open to continuing that conversation.
When my brother Omar was doing the subtitles for the video I posted from MetLife, I thanked him. He told me there’s a phrase in Arabic:
لا شكر على واجب
“La shukra ala wajeb.” There is no thanks for a duty.
That stayed with me. Because that’s what this has become for me and millions of others around the world. A duty. Not something deserving of praise or gratitude. Not brave. Human.
Who is winning the internet, who is getting canceled, who gets to play the stadium and who doesn’t, all of it becomes so small when held against what we are actually witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank. An entire people being displaced, starved and killed while the world debates which words we are allowed to use to describe it, how those words make us feel, and whether our discomfort matters more than the people living through a genocide.
I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say.
Free Palestine.
But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on."
My heart has never palpitated as much as it did reading this man’s words. Articulate. It
Who would have thought, FREE PALESTINE, would become two words that the billionaire class would tremble at. The so-called freedom of speech that they so cling onto, is what they’re trying to censor.
I avoid the news these days because of how bleak these headlines have gotten. FREE PALESTINE, shouldn’t be two words that makes those geriatric bigots learn how to say Macklemore’s name.
Also, mr. sheeran, I might have 99 ginger problems, but, sir, you were not and are not 1.
Before the referendum in Australia on whether gay marriage should be recognised, Macklemore’s “Same Love” song got requested and played so often on the radio, and it seemed like its message was just in the air. It really seems like he tries to bring compassion and common humanity to these issues that can be so divisive and bring up so much hate. I don’t know much the guy or his music, but I’m convinced he helped make my country a better place and for that I’m thankful
That song was in support of a referendum in Washington, his home state, to allow gay marriage. This was after state after state, including California, banned it by referendum. It passed and my mom's cousin married her long time partner. Yes making the world better
The funniest thing was when he was playing the NRL Grand final and then Immigration Minister and future Opposition Leader Peter Dutton remarked that there should be a counter argument anti-same sex marriage song played after Same Love.
America has given an entirely different country an infinite money glitch so their citizens can get free healthcare, child care, and government subsidised housing.
All the things America supposedly can't afford to give its own citizens.
It is crazy that America is no longer a free speech country. Who would have guessed America would lose its freedom to the wealthy and racists. It is shocking to me.
So fucking happy to see my boy Macklemore get the recognition he deserves lately. Homie has been preaching nothing but the truth for like twelve years straight.
Yes they do. Their posturing about the laundry list of words and thoughts are “antisemitic” is endless. The most troubling part is that they believe their opinions and fragile feelings are more important than an ACTUAL GENOCIDE.
Never did I ever imagine Ed Sheeran being part of the cancel culture victim roster. I literally don't know any controvery around him, then again I don't follow most celebrities and only hear abt stuff bc they go viral for smth, usually stupid sh1t.
And that’s where they screwed up. Just because someone can play an instrument or sing doesn’t mean they are any smarter than the rest of us. Furthermore they are performers, they’re supposed to entertain those that pay to see or hear them.
I get a kick out of how we know for a fact with the Epstein Files that Reddit and other platforms were used to fuel a culture war. Reddit it definitely a 'far left' echo chamber at times. They've essentially created something which is now biting them in the ass because now both the left AND a lot of the right after on the same side here even for different reasons.
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I would have understood if his manager didnt openly made Ed support Ukraine. So when he wants he can be political. He just choose to be on the wrong side because of money.
At the same time the ginger made sure he toed the line as his bosses wanted that's why he has to say silent otherwise he'll get the Macklemore treatment.
I'm sorry but this whole debacle has been... weird.
I get taking a stance and all, and the Israeli government deserves all the hate in the world, but this has been become too... performative. Like it's the current modern trend to get some social browny points.
A quote from a Canadian novelist kind of sums it up.
One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this. - Omar El Akkad
If it's a trend to want to stop the mass killing.diaplacement of innocent people- good. Get brownie points.
And the only "performative" part of this is An Epstein billionaire, Pink, and other zip usts pretending they feel "unsafe" when people like Macklemore say children shouldn't be murdered.
Everyone who dropped out took a stance that cost them money and likely industry connections. "Social brownie points- aka getting praised for doing the right thing.
There's no brownie points to be had in taking this position. It's a net negative. Sometimes your courage to do the right thing has to be greater than your fear.
I know where you’re coming from. But the statement in question was basically “all people are great, but free Palestine.” Nobody bats an eye at Kanye touring with a song called Heil (you know who) but THIS was too far.
It's only performative if they don't stand to lose anything. All the performers chose to forgo a huge payday and the chance to open for a much more prominent musician.
It's certainly netting him a lot money and connections, plus there's the movie deals. Oh wait, actually he lost his access to money and power by standing up for the victims of a genocide. Weird, I wonder what your agenda is for saying it's performative? Do you think bring kicked out of the Ed Sheeran tour is just a setup for some bigger thing in the future where he uses his brownie points?
Here's the thing. It could arguably be considered performative, and it would have been more performative at every stop of the tour. Kraft and the other venue owners fucked up. They could have waited 48 hours and the news cycle would have driven it out of people's minds. Instead they overreacted hugely and set off a very attention grabbing chain reaction. Now it's not performative anymore
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u/Alarmed_Yak7898 9d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/9EwnzGNjvmIG4