merican rapper Macklemore shared his upcoming song dedicated to Palestine and the student protesters across the US demanding a ceasefire in Gaza on social media on Tuesday. His upcoming track is titled ‘Hind’s Hall’, a tribute to the renaming of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University.
Student protesters at Columbia University occupied the campus’s Hamilton Hall last week and began calling it “Hind’s Hall” as a tribute to six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed by the Israeli military in Gaza.
The ‘Thrift Shop’ hitmaker also announced that all proceeds from his latest track — once out on streaming platforms — would be donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
In his upcoming song, the rapper reiterates students’ calls for a ceasefire in the besieged territory of Gaza and an end to Israeli occupation in the region. He also asserts that nothing about his song, or the student protests is antisemitic. “The problem isn’t the protests / it’s what they’re protesting / it goes against what our country is funding / block the barricade until Palestine is free / You can pay off META, you can’t pay off me,” he says.
Macklemore also calls out artists everywhere for being “complicit in their platform of silence.” He says, “I want a ceasefire, f*** a response from Drake.” The Grammy-winning rapper adds, “What you willing to risk? / What you willing to give? / What if you were in Gaza? / What if those were your kids?
“You’d want the world to stand up / And the students finally did.”
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, also calls out US President Joe Biden for supporting Israel. “The blood is on your hands Biden we can see it all / I’m not gonna vote for you in the fall,” he says.
‘Hind’s Hall’ is not available on streaming platforms yet but the preview clip posted on Macklemore’s Instagram has already garnered more than eight million views.
The artist has repeatedly voiced his support for Gaza. He has worn a keffiyeh to several live concerts and participated in a pro-Palestine demonstration in Washington in December.
