“…You can’t twist the truth, the people out here united
Never be defeated when freedom’s on the horizon
Yet the music industry’s quiet, complicit in their platform of silence
What happened to the artist? What d’you got to say?
If I was on a label, you could drop me today…” – Macklemore, “Hind’s Hall,” 2024
There is a rockstar-level controversy that’s unfolded in recent weeks. It involves several well-known celebrities and I will proudly cast my lot with the one who sings, “Icky, Sticky, Bubble Gum.”
On September 4, rapper Macklemore wore a keffiyeh to MetLife Stadium on his first night as the opening act for Ed Sheeran’s world tour. He stated from the stage that he chose to go on tour with Sheeran largely so that he could stand in stadiums and proclaim, “two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine.”
He followed with his song, “Hind’s Hall,” dedicated to Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. On night two, he did it all again.
Following his remarks, Jewish American pop star P!nk reposted an anti-Macklemore Instagram Story from the controversial group StopAntisemitism. She drew backlash from pro-Palestinian advocates who critique the group’s tactics of doxxing and their equation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
After several days, P!nk posted a more thoughtful response using her own words. However, she still left her pro-Palestinian fans wondering why Macklemore’s words “scared” her. That might have been the whole story.
Enter Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, which was to be the next stop on Sheeran’s tour. Kraft is a Jewish American supporter of Israel.
After the Israeli American Council launched a petition to remove Macklemore from the tour, Kraft pressured Sheeran to drop Macklemore from the lineup. He then rallied other stadium owners to join his ultimatum.
Almost immediately, Macklemore was gone from the tour. Sheeran claims it wasn’t his decision. Macklemore insists the real enemy is the billionaire trying to censor a very specific type of free speech.
For his part, Macklemore pleaded with the public to keep the focus on Palestinians, the true victims, not him or the other celebrities involved. He said he didn’t need stadium shows to make his point and that he only needed “two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say. Free Palestine.” He then donated $1 million to Palestinian aid organizations and challenged Kraft to do the same.
Amid the backlash, which included all his other opening acts dropping from the tour, Sheeran asked Kraft to match his $2 million donation, in Kraft’s words. It appears Kraft agreed, saying he is donating “to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.” However, it is unclear which organization(s) he will support or what he meant by “aid in the region.”
As this unfolded, another artist-activist felt called to chime in. Ms. Rachel is a beloved children’s programming host who rose to fame with silly songs like “Icky, Sticky, Bubble Gum,” and teaching toddlers basic concepts like “in, out, up” and “down.” She has also been a consistent advocate for Palestinian children.
As a Global Ambassador for Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, Ms. Rachel did not mince words in her social media response to the Macklemore controversy, saying, “If more than 20,000 white children were killed in another part of the world, everyone would be shouting about it at their concerts. Treating some children’s lives as less worthy of outrage is racist. Silence during a genocide is not neutral.”
She also put her money where her mouth is by matching Macklemore’s donation. Then, she challenged “every wealthy, white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza.”
The Difference
P!nk has been one of my favorite artists for over two decades and I don’t wish to diminish the legitimate l fear Jewish and Jewish American individuals experience from heightened global antisemitism.
Still, I cannot help but feel deeply disappointed in her response to Macklemore’s stand. Why does his drawing attention to what is clearly a genocide at the hands of the Israeli government (funded largely by the U.S. government) cause her fear?
I’ve long admired P!nk for how she used her platform to challenge the Bush administration and the Iraq War in her hit song, “Dear Mr. President.” Another reason is her unwavering message of body positivity for girls. And, as she mentioned in her own statement on the Macklemore controversy, she has a decade of serving as a UNICEF ambassador for children.
Why then did she give such an unsupportive response to Macklemore’s stance to stop the starving, bombing, orphaning and murdering of innocent Palestinian children? It doesn’t make sense.
I am not inclined to subscribe to the politics of cancel culture, but I am struggling with one of my pop-hero’s roles in this controversy. I fervently hope P!nk was sincere when she issued her follow-up to her original post.
Clarifying her stance after facing online backlash, she said, “Palestinians deserve a future that honors their humanity and aspirations. Protecting innocent life comes first, everywhere, and nobody should ever celebrate the death of a child. Anybody’s child.”
But if I’m buying any concert tickets in the near future, I’m far more likely to put my money toward Macklemore’s newly announced “Free Palestine Tour.” The events will feature artists advocating an end to this genocide. According to Macklemore, the tour’s proceeds “will benefit organizations supporting Palestine and the Palestinian movement.”
Plans for the tour are still in progress, but consider this my rally cry for it to include at least a few appearances by one of the most consistent, compassionate, and outspoken artists on the planet for the plight of Palestinian children. Alongside protest songs and billboard hits, I’d love to hear some “Icky, Sticky, Bubble Gum” from one of the best role models our tiny humans have as they grow up in these genocidal times.
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Dr. Rebecca M. David Hensley holds a PhD in religious studies, with an emphasis in theological and social ethics. She is a member of the adjunct faculty for Iliff School of Theology and an ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church.