Rapper Macklemore has been removed from the lineup of the Neon City Festival in downtown Las Vegas, generating the inaugural music event its first national headlines. The 41-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Ben Haggerty, expressed blatantly anti-American sentiment while performing in Seattle on Saturday at the Palestine Will Live Forever Festival.
During his performance in his hometown, Macklemore shouted, “Fuck America!” and continued, “Straight up, say it! I’m not going to stop you. Um, yeah, fuck America!” This declaration aligned with his vocal support for the Palestinian people and his shared frustration and anger at the Israeli government over the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The festival benefited organizations such as the United Nations Relief & Works Agency.
While debuting his new song, “Hind’s Hall 2,” a sequel to his May release “Hind’s Hall,” Macklemore’s anti-American rhetoric escalated. The song’s title references Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, which was briefly occupied by student protesters in April and renamed in honor of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed alongside her family by Israeli forces. The song includes lyrics directly addressing U.S. political actions:
“Hey Kamala, I don’t know if you listening
But stop sending money and weapons, you ain’t winning Michigan.
We uncommitted, and hell no, we ain’t switching positions.”
The lyrics highlight Macklemore’s frustration, noting Michigan’s large Arab-American population.
In response to his comments, Neon City’s organizers dropped Macklemore from their lineup on Tuesday, attributing the decision to “unforeseen circumstances” in a statement issued to the media. Macklemore was originally one of five headliners for the festival, scheduled for the F1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, Nov. 22-24, at various downtown venues. Organizers are now scrambling to replace him and declared, “We are excited to announce new artists joining the NCF lineup shortly.”
The impact of Macklemore’s remarks extended beyond Las Vegas. Seattle’s professional hockey and soccer teams, the Kraken and Sounders, which are minority-owned by Macklemore, also reacted. In a joint statement, they asserted, “We believe that sports bring people together and unite us. 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.”
