Macklemore has donated his entire $1 million salary from opening Ed Sheeran’s shows to six Palestinian relief organizations, and he is now asking Patriots owner Robert Kraft to match him. The rapper made the announcement on Wednesday via Instagram, saying he wanted 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.” The move follows his firing from the Sheeran tour on Monday, a decision Kraft helped orchestrate.
Kraft objected to Macklemore using his stage time to make a statement at MetLife Stadium in support of those in Gaza being killed, which the UN has termed a genocide. The billionaire owns Gillette Stadium, home of the Patriots, and is a strong supporter of Israel.
Firing Behind the Scenes
Macklemore was dropped from the Sheeran tour after venue owners pressured Sheeran. According to Macklemore’s statement, it was Kraft who rallied his fellow venue owners to push Sheeran into dropping him. The timeline is straightforward: the pressure came from the venues, Kraft organized it, and the result was Macklemore’s removal from the tour.
Macklemore’s own statement drew attention to the broader context of the dispute. Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, blackballed by the league, called Kraft’s actions the same sort of collusion that ended his football career after he spoke out during the Black Lives Matter Movement. The comparison places the situation in familiar territory for anyone following sports activism.
Kaepernick’s comparison put the situation in stark terms. A team owner pressuring venues to drop an artist over political statements mirrors the league’s treatment of a player who protested police brutality. Both cases involve powerful figures using their influence to silence criticism, and both cases have consequences for the people who speak out.
The Salary Redirect
Macklemore’s donation is not symbolic. He gave the full $1 million he earned as Sheeran’s opening act to six Palestinian relief organizations. Instead of keeping the money to fund his own projects, he chose to put it toward organizations working with people affected by the conflict. The amount is substantial, and the choice to redirect it is notable.
The move is notable because it shows an artist giving up income to stand behind a cause. He could have kept the money and walked away. Instead, he chose to use it to support organizations helping Palestinians. That distinction matters when assessing how artists respond to pressure.
Sheeran’s Response
Sheeran issued a statement of non-support for Macklemore. That statement appeared to backfire. It confirmed the split publicly, and it did so in a way that made the conflict more visible rather than less. Macklemore’s own response has been measured.
He has received massive support from every other musician associated with Sheeran’s tour, according to the report. That support suggests the broader music industry disagrees with Kraft’s position. The contrast between Sheeran’s distance and the rest of the touring artists’ backing is striking.
The Collusion Warning
Kaepernick compared Kraft’s actions to the collusion that ended his football career. The NFL blackballed Kaepernick after he spoke out during the Black Lives Matter Movement. The comparison is direct and specific, and it carries weight because Kaepernick knows what it means to lose a career over speaking out.
The comparison raises the stakes. If a team owner can pressure venues to drop an artist over political statements, the precedent is troubling. It suggests that speaking out can cost an artist not just their current job but future opportunities as well.
What Macklemore Said
In his statement, Macklemore said of his very long few days, “With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, 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.” He framed the dispute as one about Palestinians first and foremost, rather than about himself or his career.
The UN has termed the situation in Gaza a genocide, and Macklemore’s statement pointed directly at that reality. By naming the genocide explicitly, he tied his own firing to a larger humanitarian crisis.
The Match Question
Macklemore has asked Kraft to match his donation. Whether Kraft answers, and what he says, remains to be seen. The request puts Kraft in a position where he must either respond to the Palestinian organizations or ignore them entirely.
What is clear is that Macklemore has staked his position. He is willing to lose money to stand with Palestinians. His donation shows that willingness in concrete terms.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the deal over the standoff, and in this case that means it backs Macklemore’s charitable donation and Kraft’s right to fire him, while hoping the two men can find common ground through diplomacy rather than spectacle. The paper’s position is one of skepticism toward foreign entanglements and trade wars alike, and it favors the deal over the standoff wherever possible.
The donation itself is notable precisely because it is voluntary. Macklemore gave up income he could have kept to support Palestinian relief organizations, and that is a choice worth honoring. At the same time, Kraft has a right to decide who performs at his venues, and his objection to Macklemore’s stage statements at MetLife Stadium was direct. The paper does not take sides on the merits of that objection.
What the paper wants instead is for both parties to step back from the spectacle. Kaepernick’s comparison to the NFL’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick is apt, but it also points toward a solution: the paper hopes Kraft and Macklemore can resolve this through negotiation rather than public posturing. The reader should watch for signs that the two men are talking rather than trading accusations.
Key Facts
- Macklemore donated his entire $1 million salary to six Palestinian relief organizations
- He was fired from the Sheeran tour on Monday
- Kraft was instrumental in the firing
- Kraft owns Gillette Stadium, home of the Patriots
- Kraft objected to Macklemore’s statements at MetLife Stadium in support of Palestinians being killed
- Kaepernick compared Kraft’s actions to the collusion that ended his football career
Macklemore has made his choice. Now the question is whether Kraft will answer it.
See the video the story is built around at The A.V. Club.
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