Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud is inviting rapper Macklemore, dropped from a tour with Ed Sheeran for his pro-Palestinian chants, to perform a free concert in Dearborn sponsored by the city.
Macklemore had been touring stadiums in recent weeks with pop star Ed Sheeran, opening for him on his U.S. Loop Tour. During his shows, Macklemore would cry out "Free Palestine" and "Free Lebanon," which drew praise from pro-Palestinian advocates, but criticism from Jewish and pro-Israel groups such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft objected to Macklemore performing at his Gillette Stadium on Sept. 25 and 26, and other venues also objected to the rapper remaining on the tour. Macklemore said that Sheeran had told
him Kraft would not allow the rapper to perform and convinced other stadium owners to bar him. Kraft said he was concerned about what he called Macklemore's "hate speech" and "antisemitic rhetoric and imagery."
Hammoud, in a post on X at about 9 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, said to Macklemore: "If they don’t want you performing in their stadiums, you’re always welcome in Dearborn. Come put on a show here. We’ll make it a free concert, sponsored by the City, and help make it one of the best around. We stand with you and for a free Palestine. Let’s make it happen."
Macklemore did not respond Monday night to Hammoud's invitation. It's unclear how much the free concert would cost the city. Hammoud's invitation was popular on X, receiving hundreds of thousands of views. Macklemore being dropped from the tour was first reported by Rolling Stone magazine.
Macklemore visited Dearborn two years ago this month, in September 2024, for an Arab American civil rights convention and hung out with Hammoud, going with him to a football game at Fordson High School in Dearborn. Macklemore was given a proclamation by the city of Dearborn during his visit and honored at the convention of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee(ADC) with the Rachel Corrie Award, named after a woman from Washington state who died after an Israeli bulldozer struck her in 2003 while she was protesting.
Like Macklemore, Hammoud has been outspoken in support of Palestinians, calling Israel an apartheid state supporting genocide. Hammoud said earlier this year that 14 of his cousinsin Lebanon were killed in April 8 attacks by Israel, according to a city spokesman. Some pro-Palestinian advocates have criticized Hammoud for not taking specific actions, such as divestment, until after he was confronted in public at a rally in September 2024. The week after the protesters confronted him, Hammoud's administration sent a memo to the city council asking the council to review a divestment proposal, which was later approved by the council.
In June, the city erected a'Wall of Tears' muralin a park in Dearborn that listed the names of Palestinian children killed in Gaza.
USA Today contributed to this report.
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo or Facebook @nwarikoo
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dearborn mayor invites rapper Macklemore to perform free concert
