Rapper Macklemore was recently dropped from opening for Ed Sheeran’s current tour after making pro-Palestine comments during his set at a concert in New York. The decision allegedly came after pressure on Sheeran from billionaire Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots football team and Gillette Stadium, where Sheeran was set to play. Other NFL owners reportedly threatened to cancel the shows altogether unless Sheeran dropped the rapper from the tour. And it’s also worth noting that Kraft happens to have a long history of monetary support for the state of Israel.
The situation sparked a wave of controversy, as every single other opener (and Sheeran’s own backing band!) have dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore. Public opinion is certainly with the rapper, as people are rediscovering that the guy behind “Thrift Shop” is actually pretty legit. In this current Macklemore resurgence (dare we call it a “Mackle-moment”?), it’s worth revisiting the rapper’s famously cringe “love is love” opus and acknowledging that it actually might be good.
Yes, in the midst of everything going on with Macklemore and Ed Sheeran, I’m here to bravely defend “Same Love.”
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