Macklemore
Macklemore's pro-Palestine remarks at Ed Sheeran's concert have sparked controversy, Instagram/@macklemore

Macklemore has sparked backlash after using his opening performance at Ed Sheeran's concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to call for 'Free Palestine', with the Israeli-American Council now demanding that the rapper be removed from the remainder of Sheeran's US tour.

The rapper delivered the remarks during performances on Friday, 4 September and Saturday, 5 September, telling concertgoers that people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank had not been forgotten. He then performed his 2024 song Hind's Hall, which has become closely associated with his support for Palestinians.

The performances have since triggered criticism from some concertgoers and calls for action against Macklemore, while other fans have praised him for using a major music platform to speak about the conflict.

Who Is Macklemore?

Macklemore is the stage name of Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, an American rapper, songwriter, and musician from Seattle, Washington.

He first gained widespread attention as an independent artist before breaking into the mainstream with his longtime collaborator Ryan Lewis. Their 2012 album The Heist produced several international hits, including Thrift Shop, Can't Hold Us, and Same Love.

Thrift Shop became one of Macklemore's biggest commercial successes, topping charts in multiple countries and becoming one of the defining rap hits of the early 2010s. Same Love, meanwhile, established his reputation for using music to address social and political issues, particularly LGBTQ+ rights.

Why Macklemore Performed 'Hind's Hall'

Macklemore's appearance was more than a brief political statement.

After calling for a free Palestine, the rapper performed Hind's Hall, a song he released in 2024 in response to pro-Palestinian student protests at Columbia University.

The song takes its name from Hamilton Hall, a Columbia University building occupied by protesters and renamed by them in honour of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian child killed during the Gaza war.

Macklemore has continued to use his platform to advocate for Palestinian rights. His official website describes his wider activism as an effort to use his platform and creativity to address racial and social justice issues.

During the MetLife performances, he also addressed Jewish audience members, saying criticism of Israel should not be understood as criticism of Jewish people. He framed his message as one of peace, equality and dignity for all.

Macklemore's Career and Activism

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won four Grammy Awards in 2014, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album for The Heist, Best Rap Song for Thrift Shop, and Best Rap Performance for Thrift Shop.

Although his commercial success was strongest during the 2010s, Macklemore has continued releasing music and using his public platform to address political and social issues.

His activism became particularly prominent following the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war. In 2024, he released Hind's Hall, a protest song inspired by pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University. The song criticised US support for Israel and expressed solidarity with Palestinians.

Macklemore has continued speaking publicly about Gaza and Palestinian rights, making the rapper one of the more prominent American musicians to openly campaign on the issue.

That history of political activism helps explain why his latest appearance at an Ed Sheeran concert has attracted renewed attention, putting one of music's most recognisable independent rappers back at the centre of a highly polarised debate.

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