Macklemore said Ed Sheeran and his crew decided to exclude him from The Loop tour because stadium owners objected to his support for Palestinians.
“I’m not sure how to start this. So I’m going to speak from the heart and share the truth. Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop Tour,” he started.
Before explaining the problem, Macklemore insisted that he does not want the story to be considered within the frame of artists, meaning him, Sheeran, and Pink, who recently got into controversy because of her public statement.
“But before I get into it, I want to say something that should be obvious. In this moment, I think it matters. I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim,” Macklemore wrote in addition.
In his view, none of the artists mentioned have problems with their safety or careers.
“We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.”
Going on, Macklemore explained that the reason for his exclusion from the tour was related to his statements made during the performance at MetLife Stadium.
“Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said at MetLife, Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group,” Macklemore wrote.
According to his story, Sheeran said he was told he would not be allowed to perform at the stadium.
“Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.”
According to the post, Robert Kraft also threatened Sheeran if Macklemore remained on the tour.
“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.”
Macklemore pointed out that his statements at MetLife Stadium continued what he had been saying for almost three years.
“What I said at MetLife I have been saying on stages around the world for almost three years. So why is it an issue now?”
The reason is that now Macklemore shares a stage with a very popular artist and performs in some of the biggest stadiums in America, according to the post.
“Because now I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America. At a certain level of exposure, ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too much of a risk,” Macklemore said.
In his opinion, people were concerned that his statements could have consequences.
“If I kept doing the shows, saying Free Palestine, with Ed implicitly supporting it, the crowd getting loud and showing undeniable support for Palestinian liberation, what artist might speak out next? The stage becomes resistance. Maybe that’s why this time it became so important to silence me.”
Then, Macklemore switched to his conversation with his brother, who was subtitling the video from MetLife.
“When my brother Omar was doing the subtitles for the video I posted from MetLife, I thanked him. He told me there’s a phrase in Arabic: لا شكر على واجب ‘La shukra ala wajeb.’ There is no thanks for a duty,” Macklemore wrote.
The meaning of this phrase changed Macklemore’s point of view on the necessity of speaking up.
“That stayed with me. Because that’s what this has become for me and millions of others around the world. A duty. Not something deserving of praise or gratitude. Not brave. Human.”
Macklemore then shifted his focus to civilians in Gaza rather than the tour.
“The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone,” he wrote.
The number of casualties could not be independently verified.
“People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.”
According to Macklemore, Sheeran, who wasn’t used to making political statements, was under pressure from different parties.
“Ed was in a f***ed up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before,” he wrote.
Macklemore explained what reactions he received from Sheeran.
“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.”
However, Macklemore opposed the given reasoning.
“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.'”
One of the methods of enforcing this silence is connected with the accusation of antisemitism, according to Macklemore.
“And one of the most effective ways to enforce that silence has been to weaponize the accusation of antisemitism. Antisemitism is real. And that is exactly why the word matters too much to be used as a shield against criticism of the Israeli state,” he wrote.
He explained that criticism of Israel does not mean hatred of Jews.
“When criticizing Israel, opposing Zionism or saying ‘Free Palestine’ gets conflated with hatred of Jewish people, it doesn’t protect Jewish people. It protects Israel from accountability.”
The artist says the discussion of which stadium to play at is not the story.
“Who is winning the internet, who is getting canceled, who gets to play the stadium and who doesn’t, all of it becomes so small when held against what we are actually witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank.”
In his view, the whole discussion about the words used to describe current events is a diversion from reality.
“An entire people being displaced, starved and killed while the world debates which words we are allowed to use to describe it, how those words make us feel, and whether our discomfort matters more than the people living through a genocide.”
All over the post, Macklemore expressed admiration for Sheeran.
“Ed is my friend. I’ve known him for 13 years. We’ve shared late nights, studio sessions, and stages. He has this infectious magic about him that I’ve grown to love. I consider him a brother,” he wrote.
According to him, they had several conversations during the week, but they did not reach an agreement.
“And because of that, we’ve had some difficult conversations this past week. The type of talks rooted in love and respect for one another that still end in a place of fundamental disagreement.”
However, Macklemore insisted that his post is not an attack on Sheeran.
“Nothing I’m writing here is out of spite or because I want to tear down his character. But as I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.”
Throughout the story, Macklemore admitted the professional loss.
“And I get why people don’t. Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I’ve lost all of those things,” he wrote.
He insisted that keeping away from the discussion does not mean neutrality.
“But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed. When one side has the bombs and bottomless financial and military support from America, refusing to take a side doesn’t leave you in the middle.”
At the same time, Macklemore hopes that they will remain friends.
“I hope this isn’t the end of my relationship with Ed. Thirteen years of friendship doesn’t disappear because of one painful disagreement,” he wrote.
Moreover, he hopes they will both stay engaged with the issue.
“I hope we both continue listening, studying what is happening in Palestine and wrestling with what neutrality means in a moment like this. My door will always be open to continuing that conversation.”
Finally, Macklemore noted that he had not requested ten shows.
“I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say. Free Palestine.”
However, Macklemore believes that the loss of the stage served its purpose.
“But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.”
