Rapper Macklemore is facing growing backlash after using his opening performance at an Ed Sheeran concert in New Jersey to deliver a political message supporting Palestine.

The Grammy-winning artist, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, repeatedly called for a “Free Palestine” during Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour performances at MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5.

Wearing a keffiyeh, Macklemore told the crowd that one of the reasons he wanted to join the tour was to use major American stadiums to speak about Palestine. He also performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall,” which was accompanied by images related to Gaza.

Macklemore Defends His Message
The comments quickly triggered a backlash from pro-Israel groups and some concertgoers.

The Israeli-American Council launched a petition calling on Sheeran and tour organizers to remove Macklemore from the remaining U.S. dates. The organization argued that the concert was intended to be a music event rather than a political rally.

The controversy continued after Macklemore addressed the criticism.

In a statement shared on social media, the rapper said his criticism of Israel was not intended as criticism of Jewish people. He emphasized that opposing what he described as apartheid and genocide was, in his view, separate from hostility toward Jewish people.

He later reinforced the message with a post arguing that wanting all people to be treated equally should not be considered controversial.

Pink and Boy George Among Critics
Macklemore’s comments have also drawn reactions from other musicians.

P!nk shared a post criticizing the decision to bring political messaging into the concert, while Boy George publicly condemned Macklemore’s remarks and questioned the decision to use Sheeran’s concert platform for the speech.

The reaction has divided audiences, with some concertgoers supporting Macklemore’s message while others criticized him for bringing a highly controversial political issue into an entertainment event.

Controversy Over Macklemore’s Seattle Home
The latest controversy has also brought renewed attention to Macklemore’s Seattle background and his views on Native American land.

The rapper has previously acknowledged that Seattle sits on the ancestral territory of Coast Salish peoples and has spoken publicly about the history of the Duwamish people.

Critics have nevertheless accused him of hypocrisy because he owns a multimillion-dollar home in Seattle while speaking about land taken from Indigenous communities.

Macklemore has previously participated in land acknowledgments at performances and has described Seattle as being on occupied Duwamish territory.

“Hind’s Hall” Remains at the Center of the Debate
Macklemore’s performance of “Hind’s Hall” has become another major point of controversy.

The song, released in 2024, was created in response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University and became one of the rapper’s most prominent political statements.

By performing the song during Sheeran’s tour, Macklemore once again placed his views on the conflict before a massive mainstream concert audience.

His appearance has now sparked calls for him to be removed from future tour dates, although Sheeran has not publicly announced that Macklemore will be dropped from the tour.

For now, Macklemore appears determined to stand behind his message, even as criticism continues to grow.

The controversy has turned what was supposed to be an opening performance into one of the most talked-about moments of Sheeran’s U.S. tour.

Course: NY Post