Macklemore's Pro-Palestinian Protest.
New song "Hind's Hall" debuts in NZ.
Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines.
But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t have been someone that sprung to mind.
Sometimes though people see what’s going on and they feel compelled to speak out. Including those that we might suspect hold certain views but who generally choose not to “get political” and share them.
That can make for the most powerful of protest songs. Capturing a moment of shared consciousness with a crowd who might not be particularly politically inclined either. A time when important matters transcend expected social niceties and artists communicate to a wider audience that right now politics really matters.
“If I was in Palestine right now, if I was in Gaza right now, if I was in Rafah right now, I would want the rest of the world to say: FREE PALESTINE!” - Macklemore.
Think Dear Mr President by Pink, reaching beyond party politics of left and right to our shared humanity. Or the Dixie Chicks with Not Ready to Make Nice, a message of refusing to shut up but singing of shouting the truth from the rooftops.
Protest songs following the footsteps of other outspoken artists down the decades. Particularly those associated with the peace protests and counter culture of the 1960s.
More recently artists of all kinds, writers, comedians, and musicians have spoken against the madness of Trump. Of the abhorrent views and actions of a man that are so grotesque that it’s difficult to fathom that so many could support him.
Like this track from Eminem, an artist who unlike many in his genre is not exactly known for taking a political stance. But he certainly nailed his colours to the mast powerfully there.
So yeah, Macklemore isn’t normally someone that I would think about, but yesterday I had two reasons to do so.
The first was in regards to news reports of his new track Hind’s Hall.
Hind Rajab was a six-year-old girl who died in horrific circumstances – trapped for days in a car with the bodies of her family members killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli military also killed Red Cross workers who tried to come to her aid.
Student protesters in the US renamed Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall as “Hind’s Hall” when they occupied it.
Then yesterday afternoon I started seeing stories about Macklemore playing here in Aotearoa. Last night in Auckland and the previous night in Wellington. That in those shows he would be playing Hind’s Hall for the very first time.
I noticed updates from friends going to the show. People that I’ve worked with who are not ones that speak about politics and who I suspect have somewhat different views and voting habits than I do.
That isn’t a criticism, these are good people who I really like, we just look at things differently. In any case I wondered what they’d make of Hind’s Hall.
Some in the media, and certain politicians, like to tell people that protestors are all a bunch of unemployed trouble makers, a rent-a-crowd mob. Which makes it easy to ridicule the things they have to say.
But it’s not so easy to dismiss the views of someone you’ve paid a lot of money to see, a successful person who has nothing to gain by speaking out, but potentially much to lose.
The first performance of the new song, which had only been released on Youtube on Tuesday, made international news. This headline is from the Guardian from the UK.
The article says:
US rapper Macklemore has performed live for the first time his new track Hind’s Hall, expressing solidarity with Palestine and condemning Israel’s military campaign, in front of a sellout crowd in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington.
“I stand here today and every day forward for the rest of my life in solidarity with the people of Palestine, with an open heart, in the belief that our collective liberation is at stake – that we all deserve freedom in this life of ours,” Macklemore said in a short speech 40 minutes into his two-hour set.
“Yesterday [Tuesday], I put out a song called Hind’s Hall – can I play it for you guys?” he asked, to a screaming reception from the audience.
Here’s a clip of Macklemore speaking those words at the show. This was tweeted by Eva Corlett from the Guardian, and previously from RNZ:
I watched the song video itself when it was released, I think Bomber from the Daily Blog tweeted about it.
Of course it contains anger about the actions of Israel, the treatment of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the crackdown on protestors by the police, and the painting of genuine grievances as being anti-semitic.
"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?"
I’ve grown to loathe that last one. The idea that criticising the actions of Netanyahu, the Israeli State, or the IDF is anti-semitic is grossly dishonest. I abhor both anti-semitism and the killing that is occurring in Gaza.
We dishonour the memory of those killed by the Nazis in the holocaust by branding opponents of Israel’s aggression as anti-semitic.
More to the point we risk crying wolf. If every voice that speaks out against the murder of Palestinians, or criticises the form of apartheid practiced by the Israeli state, is shouted down with that most vile of accusations it will start to lose its meaning. Which is a problem because anti-semitism is very real and dangerous.
The thing that really struck me about the video though was the level of vitriol aimed at Biden and his cowardly support, or at best inaction, over the murder of so many civilians in Gaza. Here’s a popular artist, with a message that will strongly resonate with young liberals, saying - I’m not voting for Biden.
I get it, how could you support someone that’s in a position where they could actually do something about what’s happening but who chooses not to for political expediency?
Offering meaningless words, while still providing military aid, over atrocities that are appalling to people around the world. If you were one of those protestors on the campuses of course you wouldn’t want to vote for Biden.
"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."
My hope had been that Trump was so awful people would surely vote for anyone rather than him.
It would be more than a little ironic if the man who had people protesting in the streets over his stated views on Muslims might win because his opponent is standing back and letting them be murdered.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has much to answer for. Forget Biden’s age or the perception he gives that he might not be entirely compos mentis. It simply cannot be that this is the best candidate they could put up against Trump.
Despite the circus of the former President’s current trial he might actually win because the DNC are too bloody minded or conservative to admit that they’re wrong. Just like they were with Hillary.
Anyway here’s Hind’s Hall. As you can probably imagine, it’s pretty raw. There was no age restriction when I first watched it, but for whatever the reason there is now, so you’ll need to click through:
This morning I asked my friend Rae, who was at last night’s Auckland show, how it was. What had been said when the new song was introduced and what the crowd response had been.
Thanks for replying so quickly Rae, and allowing me to share your words. It’s always good to hear from someone on the ground:
Hey! So it was pretty amazing, he spoke a lot about the song before he performed it. I’m torn in my response.
He opened the song requesting permission to play it from the crowd and spoke about how it was a new song and the circumstances had touched him more than anything ever has before. This is good right, but speaking about how it touched him from a privileged white guy perspective is both ‘cringe’ but at the same time bloody good on him for using his platform for sharing awareness.
The crowd responded extremely positively and it was at the forefront of our minds given the peaceful Free Palestine protest outside the arena (which was a coincidence but one he thanked them for). It was a great song, it raised awareness and it made you think. There was a sole flag in the crowd being waved high….it made a ‘moment’. Good on him.
Rae and I used to work together about a decade ago. I don’t imagine she’d be one to go on protest marches but I know she’s passionate about charities and volunteers to raise money for good causes.
People can be cynical about musicians or sportspeople sharing their political views, using their platforms for things other than fans may have intended. But they can reach people that a politician, or a political commentator, can’t. For something like this that matters.
It’s a powerful song from an unexpected source and I can think of no higher praise than the following from Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine:
Rage Against the Machine inspired my generation to say “Fuck You, I Won’t Do What You Tell Me.” Perhaps Macklemore will inspire this generation to say no more to Israel and those who support their barbaric madness?
What if you were in Gaza? What if those were your kids?
If the West was pretendin' that you didn't exist
You'd want the world to stand up and the students finally did.
If you’re still wondering who on earth this Macklemore person is perhaps try the following clip which you might recognise.
It’s had 1.8b views, which is an enormous number. If we received $1 for each of those views we’d have almost enough for the coalition’s prison cells announced this week!
Find it absolutely dreadful that the supposed most powerful country in the world has these two standing for President because nothing will change for Palestine if Trump becomes President. they will still suffer as they have for decades and decades. Good on Macklemore, haven't heard of him - it's an age thing- and will now listen to his song, and thank you for your words Nick . So horrific the world has stood silently by and watched this genocide unfold.
Macklemore has songs calling out homophobia in the hiphop world and exploring what it's like to have white privilege in a largely African American art form. So he's got some record, and this recent song isn't totally surprising.
I worked as a post-doc at Colombia in the early 90s. I knew Hamilton Hall and the areas now in the news well. It's kind of heartening to see some protest there, it felt the student body was gentrifying as fast as the neighbourhood was.