Hi everyone, Anthony Fantano here, the internet's most disappointed music nerd. Hope you're doing well.

Let's talk about probably the biggest headline to come out of the music world over the last week. That is Mr. Macklemore, who was grabbing some attention over a week ago through what I think is a pretty uncontroversial act. That is, in the process of opening up for singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran on this big stadium tour that he's on at the moment, taking a second to advocate for the people in Palestine who are still suffering to this day through an ongoing genocide at the hands of not only Israel but our American tax dollars funding that genocide, too.

One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages and stadiums across America 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 the people from Gaza all the way to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them.

So with that, one would presume that advocating for not killing children would be as agreeable as, I don't know, calling for drinkable water or breathable air. Something everyone should be able to agree on. But in the wake of Macklemore's statements, none other than Pink stood up to call him out, looking like a total moron in the process and totally both sides in the issue. Let's put it bluntly and say that her statements about Macklemore were as unimpressive as her music.

Now, for a second, it seemed like those statements from Pink were about all that was going to come from this. After all, Macklemore hasn't exactly made his opinions when it comes to the Israel-Palestine issue hidden or obscured in any way. One would presume, given his very public views on this matter, that Ed Sheeran, who brought him onto this tour, would sort of know what he was in for and maybe even tacitly supported what Macklemore was saying by virtue of having him open for this stadium tour. But as it has now become known, Macklemore is now being removed from Eddie Baby's little tour.

And Macklemore himself was quick to jump on social media and explain the whole situation, claiming that it was Gillette Stadium and Patriots owner Robert Kraft who took issue with the situation, then pressured Ed, saying that he didn't want Macklemore performing in any venues of his in this upcoming tour, which if he totally shut down these shows, Ed would be out millions of dollars, I suppose. As if he's not already a millionaire. But yes, Macklemore essentially made it clear that Ed's little ginger nuts folded in the face of Kraft in this statement saying,

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. 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. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety in audiences around the world. Whatever consequences, any of us face, for what we have to say, we get to go home to our families.

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. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we do not lose sight of that. 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 have grown to love.

I consider him a brother. 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. Nothing that 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. On 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. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners, and collectively, they gave him an ultimatum: “If Macklemore plays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in any of our venues.”

Ed was in a fucked up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it had never been before. Ed told me that he turned out to be an ultimatum.

Ed 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 we couldn't get past his public facing, I don't take sides.

Which again, Ed being a coward, but for kind of political context here, can we all remember back to the early days following right after October 7th and how people were being lambasted left and right for saying phrases like, “from the river to the sea”. Which, again, should also be uncontroversial, but because of all the unending media firestorms of how that phrase could be interpreted, many were being painted as terrorist sympathizers for simply saying that sentence. And so many of the concerned trollers who were pushing this narrative were saying things like, “well, can't you just keep it to simply ‘free Palestine’ or this or that so that there's no confusion over what you mean or what you’re saying?”

Well, okay, here's Macklemore simply just saying “free Palestine“ on some of the biggest stages in the country. He's not saying anything about a river, not saying anything about a sea, and yet still, “free Palestine” is an offensive phrase in and of itself. Which again, just goes to show this right wing tone policing is just always coming from a bullshit place no matter what. Because y'all come for people's free speech and for people's money the moment they're advocating for others who are suffering an injustice, regardless of how it’s being put verbally.

To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace, love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality. So I say free Palestine. I say free Lebanon. I say free Cuba. I say free free Congo, free Sudan, free all people in America living in fear over this terrorist organization ICE.

Macklemore continues,

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 those things. 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.

Damn, he's he's spitting. I don't even need to add context. He's smashing it. He's saying all the correct stuff.

What I said at MetLife, I've been saying on stages around the world for almost three years. So why is it an issue now? Because I'm now 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. If I kept doing the shows, saying “free Palestine“ with Ed implicitly supporting it, the crowd getting loud and showing undeniable support for Palestine liberation, what artists might speak out next? The stage becomes resistance. Maybe that's why this time it's become so important to silence me. And one of the most effective ways to enforce that silence has been to weaponize the accusation of anti-Semitism.

Anti-Semitism is real, and that is exactly why the word matters too much to be used as a shield against criticism of the Israeli state. 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.

This man is speaking like a master's level political scientist.

I hope this isn't the end of my relationship with Ed.

Macklemore having a stronger stomach for Ed Sheeran than I do.

13 years of friendship doesn't disappear because of one painful disagreement. 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. When my brother Omar was doing the subtitles for the video I posted at MetLife, I thanked him. He told me there is a phrase in Arabic, “La shukra ala wajeb.” There is no thanks for a duty.

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.

Which I think is really important and significant to put in context because I feel like there is a lot of gross mischaracterization of what Macklemore is saying or what anybody is saying when they take even a moment to remind others that this genocide is happening, has been happening, is in fact a genocide, and it's treated as if, oh, you're doing this for attention or you're doing this to curry favor or you're doing this to get people to congratulate you or talk about how virtuous you are. I do not think it is at all special or impressive to be highlighting these things. I might as well be saying the sky is blue.

The reason I'm highlighting it is not because I think I have some kind of godly perception that others are lacking, but it is a problem, it's an urgent matter, it's an emergency, and it's still ongoing, and we also have the power and capacity to stop it.

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. An entire people 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.

I didn't need 10 shows from Ed, I needed two. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say.

Free Palestine.

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.

Stellar words from Macklemore. Poetic, accurate, timely, smart, and smoothly assembled, too. Now, I will also add in the wake of Macklemore's statement, Robert Kraft has been feeling, I think, the pressure at least a little bit because he's dropped his own statement in response to all this, essentially justifying pressuring Ed Sheeran into kicking Macklemore off the tour.

And this short little statement over here is not only complete bullshit and gaslighting, but it paints Robert as coming from this place of like, understanding and we share so much in common, it's like, we all want the same thing at the end of the day. If that's the case, why pressure Ed to kick Macklemore off the tour and instead just make a direct beeline for Macklemore and just have a conversation with him? And then, I don't know, either come to an agreement together or learn something from him. But no, Robert didn't do that because what he would actually rather do is what's going on in the bulk of his statement.

And that's putting pretty much all the blame for what's going on between Israel and Palestine on Hamas. Which yes, per usual, can't say anything about what Israel is doing without mentioning and denouncing Hamas at least a dozen times minimum and just making the whole conversation about Hamas and stopping there. No matter how much they are brought up and mentioned, it does not justify the genocide.

Starving people, bombing children, bombing schools, bombing hospitals, bombing religious institutions, bombing refugee camps, bombing and invading surrounding countries. So again, obviously, Robert Kraft diverting, distracting, and apparently telling Ed Sheeran what to do, too, because he's got him by the dong. Not only because of this stadium tour, but as I guess it has come out, Ed may have even played Mr. Kraft's wedding, where he seemed to tie the knot with a lovely woman who is definitely not marrying him for his money. No, that can't be the case, but Ed Sheeran is definitely shutting up for Robert Kraft's money. That's for sure.

Oh, and lo and behold, in the midst of me shooting this, I have to add a clip now because Ed Sheeran has come out and said something about this whole situation. Although I don't think Ed's words really amount to much because being the sniveling little wiener that he is, he tries to basically sidestep any responsibility in this decision making and act as if he had no power and no say and no control of any of this and to basically put things on hold or push back against these his stadium and venue owners would be to basically be tantamount to mistreating his fans who made plans.

And yes, while I do agree, it is true, there are a lot of people whose paychecks are kind of at stake here in this situation from road crew to, various workers and security at these venues. I guess the question is, do you have to ask yourself whether or not that is worth trading for your freedom of speech essentially? There's so much discourse had and so much hay made over the idea of freedom of speech, freedom to express yourself and say your beliefs. But saying something as simple as “free Palestine“, we are in a situation now where culturally that that is a controversial hot button topic.

And just like with Homeland Security, just like with Flock Cameras, just like with a host of other things, we are trading our ability to say things and maintain our privacy and control our own lives. In exchange for a perception of security and a perception of normalcy when our rights, our freedoms and our ability to express ourselves are being further eroded every day. And it's sad that Ed is too much of a coward to stand for that.

Okay, another video here because the updates are not stopping because as of right now, all of Ed's openers have pulled out of the tour, and not only that, but apparently Ed's backing band no longer wants to be a part of the tour as well. So now Ed's just playing by his lonesome. Which, again, I don't see this as these artists kind of putting Ed's fans or any of the road people or venue people in an awkward position because it's Robert Kraft who put all of these people in this awkward position by trying to control the expression of others in an authoritarian, fascistic way.

Let me know what your thoughts on all of this are in the comments below. I'm sure you will. And shout out Macklemore. Over here next to my head is another video you can check out. Hit that up or link to subscribe to the channel. Anthony Fantano, free Palestine forever.