A big exclusive for Rolling Stone: Macklemore has been booted off Ed Sheeran’s US tour. His behaviour on stage, including shouting “Free Palestine”, making other anti-Israel proclamations, and performing a song supportive of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University, who named a hall after Hind Rajah, the 5-year-old whose tragic death, allegedly caused by IDF fire, prompted a criminal investigation in Israel. That track contains various tropes, including Jewish financial influence on politics.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a note by Macklemore before, but his actions understandably prompted concern from Jewish fans and others, given we know that such behaviour whips up anti-Jewish hate. As singer P!nk said in a statement:
As a Jewish mom, that scared me, and it scared people I love.
Back in 2014, Macklemore wore an exaggerated costume widely condemned as antisemitic, before he apologised. According to the Rolling Stone story, interventions from the venues prompted Macklemore to be dropped, as opposed to Sheeran himself making the call. In a statement, Macklemore has said it’s down to Robert Kraft, the Jewish businessman who owns the Boston venue that the tour is headed for and has been a campaigner against antisemitism.
Kraft said in a statement:
Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.
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