Macklemore has spoken out after being dropped from the remainder of Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour dates.
It comes after Macklemore made comments in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank while opening for the singer in New Jersey earlier this month.
In a statement on Instagram, Macklemore, who was born Benjamin Haggerty, claimed that Sheeran had told him that Robert Kraft personally called the singer to inform him that the rapper would not be allowed to perform at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.
Kraft is the CEO of the Kraft Group, which owns the stadium along with the New England Patriots.
Macklemore continued: “Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
The rapper went on to say that he did not blame Sheeran personally for removing him from the tour, saying the “Shape of You” singer was put in a “f***ed up position.”
Macklemore continued: “He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood. But he couldn’t get past his public facing, ‘I don’t take sides.’ And I get why people don’t.”
The “Thrift Shop” rapper said he had lost “money, brand deals, sponsorship, festivals, private shows, relationships and access” because of his outspoken views.
The promoter for the American side of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, Messina Touring Group, said in a statement that they were told by venues of future dates on the tour that “they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup.”
“Which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans,” a spokesperson continued to Rolling Stone. “After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
The Independent has contacted Sheeran and Macklemore for comment.
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Macklemore was due to open for Sheeran at eight of the remaining 10 shows on his tour in America, which continues Friday in Philadelphia.
The rapper has been a vocal supporter of the pro-Palestinian cause in the past, having signed the Artists4Ceasefire letter back in 2023 when calling for an end to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip.
During Sheeran’s MetLife Stadium gigs on September 4 and 5, Macklemore opened the show by performing his 2024 protest song “Hind’s Hall,” which condemns Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
He told the audience during the Friday show: “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine.
“I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
He continued by saying that “every single human being that walks this earth” deserves to see their children grow up. “To know safety and peace before they know the sound of violence, to know the sound of laughter on a playground before planes and bombs, for parents to be able to say bye to their kids in the morning and not have to wonder if this is going to be the last time they kiss their child goodbye.”
After his comments, the Israeli-American Council launched a petition asking Sheeran and his management to remove Macklemore from the tour. The group stated that he had used a “global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda” and added: “This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event.”
Meanwhile, Jewish singer Pink reposted a message criticizing his comments to her Instagram page last week, before following it up with an essay. She reiterated her 2023 stance that “Palestinians deserve a future that honors their humanity and their aspirations”, before saying that she disagreed with Macklemore sharing “violent images from a war on the screens” and telling “all of the Jews is the stadium that it wasn’t about them”.
“You don’t get to decide that for us,” she continued. “That’s what prompted my repost.”