A decade ago, a white rapper named Macklemore had a hit with a song called “Thrift Shop.” It had a hit single about gay rights, sung by Mary Lambert.
Yesterday, Macklemore resurfaced at a pro-Palestinian rally in Washington DC. The one hit has been took a microphone and called for the end of the “genocide” and the end of the “racist regime” in Israel.
He should have kept his mouth shut. Whatever career he still has is now gone.
“I didn’t expect to be on a microphone,” said Macklemore. “There are thousands of people here more qualified to speak on the issue of a free Palestine than myself.”
He added: “But I will say this. They told me to be quiet. They told me to do my research, to go back, that it’s too complex to say something, right? To be silent in this moment. In the last three weeks I’ve gone back and I’ve done some research … I’m teachable. I don’t know enough. But I know enough that this is a genocide.”
If he’s teachable remains to be seen. On YouTube he told a videographer: “We need to end this racist regime.”
Macklemore has sold about 23,000 albums this year, most of it from streaming. He doesn’t really have a career but represents himself as an “activist.” His big stand was for gay rights. But if a gay person set foot in Palestine, they wouldn’t last very long. So maybe he should teach himself a little more.
Macklemore speaks at the “Free Palestine” rally in DC:
“They told me to do my research, that it’s too complex, to be silent … In the last 3 weeks, I’ve gone back & I have done some research, I don’t know everything, but I know enough to know that this is a genocide.” pic.twitter.com/QQcjZQcSFQ
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 4, 2023
