Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, better known as Macklemore, is an American rapper and activist from Seattle, Washington with over 32 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Rising to fame with his thought-provoking music, Macklemore has consistently used his platform to address and advocate for social justice issues.
In October 2023, he signed an open letter with dozens of other artists calling on the Biden Administration to enforce a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israel’s blockade. The following month, he delivered a powerful speech at the National March on Washington for Palestine, accusing Israel of genocide and urging others in the entertainment industry to speak out against injustice.
During the nationwide crackdown on university Palestine solidarity encampments in May of 2024, Macklemore released “Hind’s Hall;” a reference to the Columbia University student protestors who took over and renamed a university building in honor of the six year old Palestinian: Hind Rajab brutally murdered by Israeli occupation forces. The song not only directly criticizes Biden’s Foreign Policy stance, but also addresses the hypocrisy of peaceful protests being viewed as a threat by American politicians and police. Macklemore has pledged to donate all proceeds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
