Macklemore Swiftly Removed From Neon City Festival Lineup Following Controversial Declaration

BYZachary Horvath1.8K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
ibis RockCorps France 2024 At The Accor Arena
PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 29: Macklemore performs onstage during the ibis RockCorps France 2024 at Accor Arena on May 29, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
"Unforseen circumstances" are the reason the Neon City Festival is axing the Seattle MC from their roster.

Macklemore has always been a fairly controversial rapper throughout his career. But since the Israel-Palestine conflict, which continues to be a major storyline, he's become even more outspoken. In early May, the Seattle native put out "HIND'S HALL", a pro-Palestinian track that aimed to draw more attention to something more important than a rap beef. Then, just a few days ago, the Ryan Lewis collaborator dropped of a sequel with a handful of Palestinian American artists, a Gaza native, as well as a LA Palestinian youth choir. This one speaks about resiliency through these troubling times and being there for one another.

On top of hitting the booth and speaking at rallies, Macklemore recently went onstage to perform at a Seattle festival. This event was put together to assist some aid programs such as Pious Projects, HEAL Palestine, United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. However, during his time onstage, Macklemore may have gotten a little to bold. One of the audience members got a video of him saying "f*** America", which produced some cheers and claps, but not from the organizers with the Neon City Festival.

Macklemore Says "F*** America"

According to Pitchfork, he was scheduled to headline it, but that isn't happening now thanks to his declaration. He has not yet broken his silence since the clip made the rounds online. However, a few local pro sports teams he's affiliated with have. The Seattle Kraken of the NHL, Seattle Sounders FC, and the Seattle Mariners have made public statements, with all of them essentially looking into how they want to handle the matter. Sadly, for the Neon City Festival, their inaugural show is already receiving some setbacks. It is still slated to begin on November 22 and run through the 24th.

What are your thoughts on Macklemore being taken out of the Neon City Festival lineup for his "f*** America" statement? Do you think it was the right move by the organizers to do this? Do you side with the Seattle rapper's declaration? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Mackelmore. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.

About The Author
Zachary Horvath is one of the Music Freelance News Writers at HotNewHipHop and has held that title since August 2023. Prior to this position, he held another freelance gig covering local high school football, girls and boys varsity basketball, in addition to recapping Cleveland Cavaliers games remotely. He's taken the previous experience and used it to become a jack of all trades at HotNewHipHop. Zach has thoroughly enjoyed tackling some of the trending topics in sports, with a larger focus on hip-hop and pop culture. Some of those include Bronny James's draft stock, a multitude of angles swirling around the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, as well as Diddy's arrest and lawsuits. Separate from the headlines that everyone wants to hear about, he was fortunate enough to help spread Zaytoven's current thoughts at the time around mid-December in 2023. Even though being able to give his expertise on these stories is fulfilling, being able to share his passion for releases trumps that ever so slightly. Having the chance to express his excitement indirectly about what he thinks our readers should be checking out/revisiting grows his passion for writing that much more.
...