The rapper macklemore performed on Ben Tour in Wisconsin last year. Daniel Deslov/SIPA USA/FilCNN The song, titled "Hind Hall" released on Monday, refers to the new temporary name given by pro-Palestinian protesters in Columbia University to a building they occupied on campus.
With the release of the album, the Grammy-winning rapper became one of the first major music artists to explicitly condemn the U.S. government's continued assistance to Israel, and praised the students who protested their universities' financial investment in companies associated with Israel on American campuses.
"The problem is not the protest, but what they are protesting," macklemore rapped. "This goes against the project that our country is funding."
Macklemore echoed the feelings of pro-Palestinian protesters, who said they would refuse to vote for Biden in this year's presidential election because he continued to support Israel. Democrats have been worried that losing the support of young voters who are disappointed with Biden's handling of the war may cost him the election and see former President Donald Trump return to the presidency.
On April 24th, in new york, USA, during the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas, after a night of intense negotiations, protesters continued to camp on the campus of Columbia University to support the Palestinians. 2024.REUTERS/David Di delgado David Di delgado/Reuters Related Articles A student reporter from Columbia University produced the cover story of new york Magazine. That's what they did. The song also criticized the university for sending police to disperse the protests on the campus. Several schools that called for police intervention said that the school camp was illegal, and before the police intervention, managers tried to negotiate with student protesters. When the protesters refused to move in UCLA, the police seemed to use rubber bullets on them. At the University of Arizona, law enforcement officers used pepper balls and rubber bullets against protesters.
Throughout the United States, pro-Palestinian protesters occupied campus lawns and buildings, and many people demanded that their universities withdraw funds from Israel. The police raided several protesters' camps, resulting in the arrest of more than 2,300 people in schools all over the country.
Many people arrested in university protests are students, and some of them are banned from entering the campus and face expulsion.
Some of these school demonstrations inspired large-scale opponents who supported Israel.
The meaning of the title "Hall of Hinde"
Hind Hall, named by pro-Palestinian protesters, is named after Hind Radzhab, a Palestinian child who was trapped in a car with six relatives and was found dead in Gaza.
According to CNN, their car was attacked by Israelis when they fled the fighting in northern Gaza. Hind and other people in the car, including her uncle's four children, and two ambulance workers sent to rescue them were killed.
Macklemore's lyrics refer to more than 13,800 children who have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war. This song asks the audience, as well as politicians, university officials and fellow artists who have not openly opposed violence in Gaza, to consider the human cost of this war: "What if you were in Gaza? What if those are your children? If the west pretends that you don't exist? "
Macklemore called the music industry an accomplice and said he supported a "free Palestinian".
In The Hall of Hind, macklemore accused the music industry of being "an accomplice of the silent platform", and he sang.
He may be the only major artist who wrote songs about this conflict. However, several famous musicians, including Dua Lipa, Jon batiste and Selena Gomez, have signed the "Open Letter of Artist No.4" to Biden. Scottish singer annie lennox also verbally called for a ceasefire when performing at the Grammy Awards in February.
Macklemore said through his social media channel that when the song was released on streaming media, all proceeds would be donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Macklemore has been openly supporting the Palestinians since last year. On October 7, Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. Less than two weeks after the attack, he shared a post expressing condolences for the loss of Israeli and Gaza lives.
Referring to the attack on October 7, he wrote: "I am deeply saddened by those Israelis who lost their loved ones because of this abominable act." . "... but revenge for killing innocent people as a collective punishment is not the answer. This is why I support people around the world who call for a ceasefire. "
At the end of the post, he wrote, "I support a free Palestine and end the imminent genocide against its people."
In the same post, he mentioned the controversial statement that criticizing the Israeli government is anti-Semitic. "I can love my Jewish brothers and sisters wholeheartedly, and at the same time condemn the mass slaughter and apartheid of the Israeli government."
Protesters carry Palestinian flags during the University of Michigan's main commencement in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday, May 4. Protesters were removed from ceremony after briefly interrupting the proceedings. No one was arrested, according to Melissa Overton, the university's deputy police chief and public information officer. Nic Antaya/Getty Images 
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate on the New York University campus in New York on Friday, May 3. Seth Harrison/Westchester County Journal News/USA TODAY Network 
Police officers block off an area on the Portland State University campus in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, May 2. Jenny Kane/AP 
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate on the George Washington University campus in Washington, DC, on May 2. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 
Protesters deface a car after a man drove it toward a crowd at Portland State University in Portland on May 2. The driver stopped just short of a group of protesters and sprayed them with "some kind of pepper spray," police said. Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images 
Activists make protest signs inside a pro-Palestinian encampment at The George Washington University on May 2. Craig Hudson/Reuters 
Emma, right, sheds a tear as she and her friend Aryn listen to the names of Israeli hostages as they attend a pro-Israel rally at George Washington University on May 2. Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images 
Police face off with pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on May 2. Etienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images 
A protester is detained at UCLA on May 2. Mike Blake/Reuters 
Pro-Palestinian protesters stand their ground after police breached their encampment at UCLA on May 2. Etienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images 
Police take down a barricade as protesters gather at an encampment at UCLA on May 2. Mike Blake/Reuters 
Pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus after a group created an encampment inside the building in New York on Wednesday, May 1. Spencer Platt/Getty Images 
A man is detained after a scuffle as pro-Palestinian protesters rally outside Fordham on May 1. Spencer Platt/Getty Images 
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rebuild a barricade around an encampment at UCLA on May 1. Before police were deployed to campus, pro-Palestinian protesters and Israel supporters were clashing at the school, according to multiple reports. Etienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images 
Police officers stand guard after clashes erupted on the campus of UCLA. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images 
Counter-protesters attack a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA. Etienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images 
Police use a vehicle named "the bear" to enter Hamilton Hall, which was occupied by protesters at Columbia University in New York on Tuesday, April 30. About 300 protesters were arrested, according to the NYPD. Caitlin Ochs/Reuters 
Police detain a protester at Columbia on April 30. David Dee Delgado/Reuters 
Pro-Palestinian protesters climb a fence during demonstrations at The City College of New York on April 30. Spencer Platt/Getty Images 
An NYPD bus transports arrested demonstrators at Columbia on April 30. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images 
Protesters confront police at The City College of New York on April 30. Spencer Platt/Getty Images 
NYPD officers march into Columbia on April 30. Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images 
Protesters occupy Columbia's Hamilton Hall early on April 30. Seyma Bayram 
Protesters barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall on April 30. Dozens of protesters were occupying Hamilton Hall, one of the campus buildings also occupied during 1968 student protests, according to a social media post from Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine. Alex Kent/Getty Images 
A protester breaks the windows of the front door of Hamilton Hall in order to secure a chain around it and prevent authorities from entering early on April 30. Alex Kent/Getty Images 
Protesters at Brown University celebrate April 30 after reaching a deal with the administration to end their encampment in Providence, Rhode Island. The university agreed to hold a vote on divestment from companies that support Israel, according to the protest group. Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images 
Columbia University students gather for a picket organized by the Student Workers Union (UAW Local 2710) on Monday, April 29. Seyma Bayram 
Pro-Palestinian protesters confront a Texas state trooper at the University of Texas in Austin on April 29. Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images 
A protester at Columbia University wears the university's disciplinary notice on April 29. Alex Kent/Getty Images 
Demonstrators march past Low Library while chanting "Free Palestine" on Columbia's campus on April 29. Diane Handal 
Students from George Washington University stand on top of police barricades as they protest in Washington, DC, on April 29. Cliff Owen/AP 
Pro-Palestinian students and activists participate in a demonstration at UCLA on Sunday, April 28. Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images 
Students and pro-Palestinian supporters occupy a plaza at New York University on April 26. David Dee Delgado/Rueters 
Georgia State Patrol officers detain a demonstrator on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Atlanta on April 25. Mike Stewart/AP 
Jewish students wave Israeli flags as a counter-protest near a pro-Palestinian camp at UCLA on April 25. Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News/Getty Images 
Texas state troopers try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin on April 24. Jay Janner/Austin Statesman/USA Today Network/Reuters 
Students at the University of Texas at Austin watch a protest from a classroom window on April 24. Brandon Bell/Getty Images 
Students are arrested during the protest in Austin on April 24. There were dozens of arrests. University police had warned students in an email that they faced more arrests if they didn't disperse from the site. Brandon Bell/Getty Images 
Protesters link arms at Emerson College in Boston on April 24. Brian Snyder/Reuters 
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media on the campus of Columbia University after meeting with Jewish students on April 24. He called on the school's president to resign during a tense news conference where the crowd repeatedly interrupted him and at times loudly booed him and other Republican lawmakers who were with him. Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images 
Demonstrators' tents are set up on Columbia's campus in New York on April 24. The school is also preparing for graduation ceremonies. Alex Kent/Getty Images 
Demonstrators work on a banner April 24 at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images 
Protesters demonstrate at the University of Texas in Austin on April 24. Nuri Vallbona/Reuters 
Demonstrators and Texas state troopers face one another in Austin on April 24. Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg/Getty Images 
Police stand near protesters at the University of Southern California on April 24. Zaydee Sanchez/Reuters 
New York police officers stand near protesters outside the main entrance of Columbia University on April 24. Caitlin Ochs/Reuters 
Columbia students prepare to camp overnight on April 23. Caitlin Ochs/Reuters 
A group of Jewish and non-Jewish students gather at the Columbia encampment to celebrate Seder, a ritual feast at the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Columbia student Cameron Jones told CNN: "I am Jewish and, to me, Passover symbolizes perseverance and resilience. I think this encampment represents those two ideals because we have seen the university take countless measures to try to suppress our student activism, and here is us persevering through that." Caitlin Ochs/Reuters 
A makeshift memorial at Columbia, seen on April 23, pays tribute to Jewish hostages taken by Hamas in October. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images 
Students protest near New York University on April 23. Andres Kudacki/The New York Times/Redux 
Students at the University of California, Berkeley, set up an encampment at Sproul Hall on April 23. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images 
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators sit at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, on April 23. University police arrested at least 45 protesters the day before and charged them with criminal trespassing after they refused orders to leave. Joe Buglewicz/Bloomberg/Getty Images 
Police and protesters face off at New York University on April 22. Fatih Aktas/Anadolu/Getty Images 
Police officers clear away tents from an encampment at New York University on April 22. Alex Kent/AFP/Getty Images 
People watch from a window as New York University students set up a tent encampment on April 22. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images 
Students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally at The New School in New York on April 22. Mary Altaffer/AP 
Students rally at an encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge on April 22. Scott Eisen/Getty Images 
A pro-Palestinian protest is held at the steps of Columbia's Lowe Library on April 22. David Dee Delgado/Getty Images 
Some Columbia professors rally in support of their protesting students on April 22. Stefan Jeremiah/AP 
Israeli flags are reflected in the sunglasses of a demonstrator in front of Columbia University on April 22. Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg/Getty Images 
Student activists set up camp at a New School cafeteria on April 21. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images 
Pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside a Columbia building on April 20. Selcuk Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images 
Police officers stand near barriers as pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside of Columbia on April 18. Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Gaza protests spread at US colleges Prev Next Macklemore also appeared at a pro-Palestinian march in Washington in November. In an Instagram post shared after the event, he said that he was heartened by “Jewish and Muslim youth marching side by side, belting words of resistance together.” On Saturday, May 4th, protesters held Palestinian flags at the main graduation ceremony in ann arbor, University of Michigan. The protesters were expelled after a short interruption of the ceremony. According to Melissa overton, deputy police chief and public information officer of the university, no one was arrested. Nick Antaya/Getty Photo Agency In November, macklemore also appeared in the pro-Palestinian March. In an Instagram post shared after the event, he said that he was inspired by "Jewish and Muslim youths marching side by side and shouting words of resistance together".
Macklemore has faced accusations of anti-Semitism in the past. In 2014, he surprised the Seattle concert audience by wearing what he called a "random costume" with a big fake nose and a thick black beard. Several critics, including seth rogen, said his clothes were anti-Semitic, prompting macklemore to "admit how clothes can be attributed to a Jewish cartoon in the context of stereotypes."
The rapper has made political statements throughout his career. He was nominated for a Grammy for his song "Same Love" in 2012, which advocated equality of sexual minorities and supported same-sex marriage. In 2016, he appeared in the remix of YG song FDT. 2 stands for "Fuck Donald Trump"
After Trump entered the White House, macklemore continued to openly oppose Trump. Protesters on university campuses still openly oppose the Gaza war, even after some universities canceled or changed graduation ceremonies and punished student protesters.