US rapper Macklemore, best known for his Hottest 100 and chart-topping hits Thrift Shop and Same Love, is being applauded online for the release of a new protest song called Hind's Hall.
The tough, pro-Palestine track, which samples Ana La Habibi by popular Lebanese singer Fairuz, is delivered in solidarity with US students protesting for ceasefire in Gaza.
The song's title references the Columbia University campus building, officially known as Hamilton Hall but christened ''Hind's Hall' by occupying student protesters last week in tribute to Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza.
"If students in tents posted on the lawn
Occupying the quad is really against the law
And a reason to call in the police and their squad
Where does genocide land in your definition, huh?"
These are the lyrics Macklemore raps, referring to the Los Angeles Police Department crackdown against protests.
"Once it's up on streaming all proceeds to UNRWA," the Seattle artist wrote of the new track online, referring to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which is supporting Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere.
"What if you were in Gaza? What if those were your kids?" he raps in the closing bars.
"If the West was pretendin' that you didn't exist/ You'd want the world to stand up and the students finally did."
Macklemore blasts President Biden and music peers
Rapping over video footage — showing everything from police and protestors clashing to Israeli soldiers and children on-ground in Gaza — Macklemore criticises President Joe Biden's response to the conflict:
"The blood is on your hands, Biden, we can see it all
And f**k no, I'm not votin' for you in the fall."
In the closing verses, he also rebukes his music industry peers for staying quiet on the issue.
"Complicit in their platform of silence," he raps.
"What happened to the artist? What do you got to say?
If I was on a label, you could drop me today
I'd be fine with it cause the heart fed my page."
He also sneaks in a jab at Drake and the Canadian rapper's ongoing feud with Kendrick Lamar that has consumed social media in recent weeks, aggressively rapping:
"I want a ceasefire, f**k a response from Drake."
Elsewhere in the song, Macklemore calls out the US government's proposed ban on TikTok ("It's too late … [We've] seen the rubble, the buildings, the mothers and the children.").
He also rejects calls labelling anti-Zionism as anti-Semitic ("I've seen Jewish brothers and sisters out there and ridin' in solidarity and screamin' 'Free Palestine' with them").
The internet reacts
Responses to Macklemore's new song have generally been positive, praising him for stepping up and using his platform to speak out.
Some unlikely high praise came from Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who favourably compared Hind's Hall to his group's famously fiery, political anthems.
"He's out here raising awareness of an in-progress genocide for an audience who might not be clued in, who you and I probably can't reach," commented Chris Walla, music producer and former member of indie rock favourites Death Cab For Cutie.
"That is absolutely real work, I have so much respect for it."
Australian singer-songwriters Angie McMahon and Montaigne praised the song and shared it with their social media followers.
"I genuinely find Macklemore's care really moving," Montaigne wrote on X "Esp[ecially] when he didn't have a clue about all this less than a year ago (like me)."
"This is very powerful. Thank you for creating this, Macklemore," Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein wrote on X.
Similarly, Independent presidential candidate and philosopher Cornel West reacted: "I salute my brother Macklemore using his powerful artistry to tell some painful truths!"
Many took a humorous slant, referencing Macklemore's polarising 2012 novelty hit Thrift Shop, which topped triple j's Hottest 100 and dominated charts worldwide.
Others noted Macklemore's history of progressive politics and activism.
However, not everyone is impressed.
Several X users have pointed towards a 2014 scandal where Macklemore was accused of anti-Semitism after wearing a fake nose, hair, and prosthetic nose many called a Jewish caricature at an event in Seattle.
"Just a reminder, Macklemore is the guy who wore this on stage and the Seattle ADL defended him afterward. Hope they feel good about that now," wrote one X user.
"You're telling me this guy recorded an anti-Zionist song? Never saw it coming," another wrote sarcastically.
Responding to the backlash in a blog post at the time, the rapper said he had no intention of dressing like a "Jewish stereotype" and apologised for having offended anyone.
This isn't the first time Macklemore has gotten political
The Grammy-winning rapper's 2012 single Same Love voiced support for same-sex marriage and criticised hip hop's historic homophobia.
Macklemore played the song at the 2017 NRL Grand Final, despite a petition to ban its performance, and the track later topped the Australian charts.
The rapper's 2016 track White Privilege II, featuring Jamila Woods, also stirred controversy.
An anti-racist statement that inserted Macklemore into the Black Lives Matter conversation after being accused of cultural appropriation, US publication Slate declared "it isn't a great song, but as a think piece it's not terrible."
Macklemore has also spoken out against the war in Gaza several times before.
In October, he issued an Instagram statement saying he was educating himself on the conflict but was in support of "people around the world who are calling for a ceasefire." Then, on 4 November, he spoke at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Washington, DC.
In December, Macklemore further addressed his stance in concert, criticising the alleged misuse of American tax dollars.
"When I say Free Palestine, it's not against anyone. It actually means we should protect everyone," he said in an Instagram Reel post.
"It means equality for all, respect, peace, and love. It means the right to exist, regardless of what sector you're from… There's innocent humans out in Gaza getting murdered with our dollars, and those precious human lives are an extension of us."
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2024-05-08 06:23:34Z
CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTA1LTA4L21hY2tsZW1vcmUtcHJvLXBhbGVzdGluZS1zb25nLWhpbmRzLWhhbGwtaW50ZXJuZXQtcmVhY3RzLzEwMzgyMDk1ONIBKGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMDM4MjA5NTg
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