Seattle rapper Macklemore has got the internet abuzz. The artist, known for socially-conscious songs like “Same Love” and “White Privilege II,” has written and released a new song highlighting the protests at Columbia University over the bloody conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Videos by American Songwriter
Macklemore Goes Full Rage Against The Machine With “Hind’s Hall”
That new track, “Hind’s Hall,” has been trending on Twitter (X) for the past 24-plus hours, with Macklemore’s post earning more than 14 million views. It has also earned praise from Tom Morello, the lead guitarist for the famed protest rock group Rage Against the Machine, who wrote on X, “Honestly @macklemore’s “Hind’s Hall” is the most Rage Against The Machine song since Rage Against The Machine.”
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Others have offered their praise of the song, including Presidential candidate Cornel West, who wrote on the social media platform, “I salute my brother @macklemore using his powerful artistry to tell some painful truths! #TruthJusticeLove.”
As for the song’s content, the rapper offers,
The people, they won’t leave
What is threatenin’ about divesting and wantin’ peace?
The problem isn’t the protests, it’s what they’re protesting
It goes against what our country is funding
(Hey) Block the barricade until Palestine is free
(Hey) Block the barricade until Palestine is free.
The video for the song, also posted on X, shows a slew of difficult images. And while some may disagree with the contest of the song, the conflict in the region has certainly cost many lives, both recently ever since an attack on a music festival in Israel, and in the country’s response and over decades of war.
Of the song, journalist Dave Zirin, who is Jewish, writes in The Nation, “Macklemore raps about the student occupations, violent police staring down peaceful resistance, the silence of the music industry in the face of genocide, the efforts to ban TikTok, the proud Jewish role in this struggle, and the great lie that anti-Zionism and antisemitism are in any way the same thing.”
Those interested can check out the new track and video here below.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
