Macklemore dropped by Las Vegas music festival days after controversial comments
LAS VEGAS — The rapper Macklemore has been dropped from the lineup of a Las Vegas music festival after a video circulated on social media of the artist saying "F*** America."
The 41-year-old Seattle native,whose legal name is Ben Haggerty, was announced as a headliner last week for the inaugural Neon City Festival set to take place in late November.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Macklemore will no longer be performing at Neon City Festival," said festival organizers. "We are excited to announce new artists joining the NCF lineup shortly."
Macklemore received criticism for his comments on stage at last weekend's "Palestine Will Live Forever Fest" in Seattle's Seward Park.
The Seattle Kraken and Seattle Sounders FC issued a joint statement Monday, saying they are aware of his comments and that they do not reflect the values of the teams.
"We believe that sports bring people together and unite us," said the statement. "We are aware of Macklemore’s increasingly divisive comments, and they do not reflect the values of our respective ownership groups, leagues, or organizations. We are currently evaluating our collective options on this matter."
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Seattle Mariners provided KOMO News a statement regarding the rapper's recent comments:
We are aware of the incident and agree with the other teams in town: Sports and music should connect, not divide us. We continue to monitor and research the latest developments.
The rapper has been an investor in the Sounders organization since 2019 and became a minority investor in the Kraken two years ago.
RELATED | Seattle sports teams evaluate ties with Macklemore after controversial concert remarks
Macklemore also filmed a music video during a Kraken game in 2023.
Some fans have raised questions online about his relationship with the Mariners, as one of his songs is often played during the seventh-inning stretch during M's home games.
The rapper went toGarfield and Nathan Hale high schools and has repped his hometown teams for most of his career. He even served as a co-emcee with Megan Rapinoe at Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird's jersey retirement ceremony.
Stand with Us NW (SWUNW), a nonprofit Israel education organization told KOMO News that Macklemore has "repeatedly shown insensitivity to Israeli victims of Palestinian terror."
"He would be a more credible advocate for the Palestinian cause if he would use his status to call for peace between two peoples," SWUNW Regional Director Randy Kessler told KOMO News in a text message.
"I'm not really surprised by it I'm disgusted by it," said Regina Sassoon Friedland, Regional Director of the American Jewish Committee Seattle. "Fighting for the Palestinian people is something, the biggest thing we could do for Palestinian people is to free them from Hamas the tyranny of Hamas, a terrorist organization. They should not be ruled by Hamas, that's not a way to live."
Brooklen Weekley said some outlets are reporting that Macklemore led the crowd in anti-American chants, she said that's not true and that chants were "Free Palestine."
She also provided some of the videos she took at the concert. She said she wouldn't talk about America that way, but added while she realizes she doesn't speak for Macklemore, she thinks his comment is more nuanced.
"When he said, 'F*** America,' to me it's more of a stance of we don't like what's being done to innocent civilians and children and we want to change that," Weekley said.
Weekley said she appreciates the singer's support and influence.
"I may not agree with what our country is doing, and who we are funding and who we are supporting that's why we change it," Weekley said that's what she intends to do. "When you see something morally and ethically wrong, you fix it."
Her video captured Macklemore performing a song he released called "Hind's Hall," named after the building at Columbia University, where pro-Palestine students protested.
At one point on Saturday night, he told the crowd he didn't know anything about the Middle East conflict until the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. He said he started learning about the history and had to get involved. On Weekley's video from the festival, Macklemore called it "a genocide" and said, "it has been since 1948."
The rapper has been vocal about the war in Gaza, slamming America for not taking what he considers a stronger stance.
"I think what he is missing there the largest piece is that Hamas is a terror organization...he said he got educated about October 7th, but nowhere does he mention over 1,200 were murdered, and 250 taken hostage, and still there are 101 hostages now," said Sassoon Friedland.
Macklemore has not yet responded to requests for comment from KOMO News.
