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Grammy Award-winning rapper,Macklemore, 40, released a new song entirely focused on criticizing Israel and supporting the pro-Palestinian student protests on campuses across the United States.
The song, "Hind's Hall," derived its name from the nickname given by students at Columbia University to the Hamilton Hall building, where they barricaded themselves last week, renamed by them after 6-year-old Palesitnian girl, Hind Raja, who was killed by IDF gunfire.
The rapper uploaded part of the accompanying video to social media onMonday night and, within 11 hours, it generated over 14.5 million views. Macklemore stated that all proceeds from the song's streaming would be donated to the Palestinian aid agency UNRWA.
The video is made up of a collage of images and videos since the beginning of the war in Gaza, including scenes of IDF soldiers arresting Palestinians, accusations of apartheid, destruction in Gaza, injured and traumatized children, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speeches, Palestinian photographer Muath Amarneh, and many images from protests and arrests on campuses across the United States.
Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, condemned Israel's policies, describing it as an "apartheid system" and "occupying violence." The music video of the song showcases scenes of devastation in Gaza, protests advocating for Palestine, and logos of corporations endorsing Israel's stance.
"The mothers and the children, and all the men that you murdered," Macklemore raps. "And then we see how you spin it. Who gets the right to defend and who gets the right of resistance."
Additionally, the rapper confronts the common accusation of antisemitism directed toward critics of Zionism: "We see the lies in them, claiming it's antisemitic to be anti-Zionist
Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Macklemore has spoken out several times against Israel and said in his performances that Israel is committing murder with Gaza. He dressed as a Palestinian terrorist during some of his performances and participated in the massive pro-Palestinian rally in Washington in December.