Macklemore to Donate $1 Million Ed Sheeran Tour Earnings to Palestine Aid, Invites Robert Kraft to Match Him
Rapper Macklemore has pledged $1 million to Palestinian aid organizations after being removed from Ed Sheeran's tour. The dispute involves allegations of pressure from venue owner Robert Kraft, who claims the donation request was part of a larger negotiation.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the intersection of celebrity activism, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the influence of venue owners on touring artists.
This article has been updated with a new statement from Robert Kraft.
Last week, Macklemore said that he had been ousted as an opener on the U.S. leg of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour after calling for a free Palestine onstage. Now, the rapper has pledged to donate $1 million of his net earnings from the tour to six organizations supporting Palestinian aid. “I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom,” Macklemore said on Instagram.
Also covering this story
22 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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