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Drake Breaks Silence On Israel-Palestine Conflict, Signs Letter Calling For Ceasefire

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After weeks of mounting criticism over his silence on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Drake has finally spoken out. Drizzy was one of many musicians who signed an open letter calling for the US government, a major ally of Israel, to push for a cease-fire to at least temporarily end the conflict between the two sides. It comes in stark contrast to another celebrity being circulated. That letter re-affirms American support for Israel and thanks President Biden for supporting Israel.

“We urge your administration, Congress, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay. An end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two-thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them,” the letter that Drake signed reads in part.

Read More: DJ Akademiks Questions Whether Drake Still Identifies As Jewish

Israel-Palestine Conflict: Latest Updates

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is entering its fourth week. As the death toll nears 10,000, Israeli tanks and ground forces were seen entering the Gaza Strip. Over 8000 of the dead are Palestinians, with thousands of children among the dead. This comes after several days of relentless bombing by the Israeli Air Force. The intense bombing was preceded by a total communication blackout for the embattled enclave. Furthermore, Israeli rhetoric has intensified, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that the war was for “Israel’s existence”.

Furthermore, despite Israel claiming that the war was to eradicate the militant group Hamas, violence has intensified in the West Bank. The West Bank is the other enclave that forms Palestine and is not controlled by Hamas. 110 Palestinians are believed to have been killed in the West Bank at the time of writing. Elsewhere, the Palestinian Red Cross have stated that the latest Israeli airstrikes have caused significant damage to Gaza’s largest hospital. Despite Israel ordered the hospital to be evacuated, multiple sources have said that the demand is impossible to execute.

Read More: Dave Chappelle’s Israel-Palestine Comments Lead To Walkouts At Boston Show

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DJ Akademiks Questions Whether Drake Still Identifies As Jewish

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DJ Akademiks discussed Drake’s decision to remain silent on the conflict between Israel and Palestine while speaking with DJ Vlad for a new interview. Vlad previously criticized both Drake and DJ Khaled for their silence on the topic.

“I do think when it comes to Drake and Khaled, it’s probably a concerted effort of not trying to isolate people,” Akademiks began. “It’s like, ‘If I say something, what will it even matter?’” To that point, Vlad disagrees, citing their billions of followers. When Akademiks proposed the idea of putting out a vague statement on the matter, Vlad described it as a “start.”

Read More: DJ Vlad Condemns Drake & DJ Khaled For Silence On Israel-Palestine Conflict

Drake Performs In New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, LA – SEPTEMBER 02: Aubrey Drake Graham aka Drake at Smoothie King Center on September 2, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)

Later in the interview, Akademiks wonders whether Drake even still identifies as Jewish, noting that he rarely speaks about it. “I think he’s gone away from trying to be the, ‘Hey, this is the Jewish rapper,’” Akademiks said. He also brought up Kendrick Lamar’s commitment to the Black community as a comparison. Check out Akademiks and Vlad’s conversation below.

DJ Akademiks Discusses Drake’s Silence On Israel

As for Vlad’s previous comments, he called out Drake and Khaled in a lengthy rant on social media, earlier this month. He wrote in part: “It’s because both are so thirsty to maintain their relevance that they wouldn’t dare risk insulting a segment of their fanbase. Heaven forbid that Drake might debut at #2 behind Taylor Swift because some of his Palestinian fans chose to not stream his album. And it would be the end of the world if Khaled sold a few less sneakers because some Jewish people decided not to buy his Jordans. That’s the difference between artists of today and timeless legends like 2Pac. You know damn well Pac would be the first one to speak out about something so close to home.” Be on the lookout for any comments from Drake on the matter on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: DJ Vlad On Drake And DJ Khaled Comments: “Their Voices Are Powerful”

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Dave Chappelle’s Israel-Palestine Comments Lead To Walkouts At Boston Show

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Dave Chappelle saw several audience members walk out of his show in Boston after he decided to speak on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. No footage of the set is online, as Chappelle confiscated the audience’s phones before he began. While Chappelle condemned the initial Hamas attack on Israel, he said that students in the US shouldn’t be losing job offers for supporting Palestine. Several Ivy League students have reported experiencing such consequences for publicly supporting Palestine.

However, Chappelle doubled down, stating that the Israeli response to the Hamas attack has been disproportionate and going as far as to accuse Israel of war crimes. Not stopping there, Chappelle also accused the US of aiding and abetting the Israeli atrocities thanks to their full-throated support fo the nation. The comments led several audience members to leave the show early, according to sources who spoke with TMZ.

Read More: Mia Khalifa Let Go From Playboy After Voicing Support For Palestine

Israel-Palestine: Latest Updates

Dave Chappelle
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 02: Dave Chappelle attends De La Soul’s The DA.I.S.Y. Experience, produced in conjunction with Amazon Music, at Webster Hall on March 02, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Amazon)

As fighting enters its third week, the death toll is set to exceed 6000, with a vast majority of the reported deaths being Palestinians. While some aid relief has been allowed into the Gaza Strip, Israel maintains an iron fist around the occupied enclave. Furthermore, fingers continue to be pointed over the destruction of a Gazan hospital this week. Israeli sources initially claimed credit for the attack. However, tweets were edited and statements amended to blame a failed Hamas rocket attack. Independent investigations are inconclusive at this time. However, early indications suggest that the munitions used to destroy the hospital came from Israel and not Gaza

Meanwhile, the violence has begun to spread outside of the Middle East. A six-year-old Palestinian boy was murdered by his landlord in Chicago. The self-proclaimed MAGA supporter reportedly forced entry into the apartment and stabbed the boy to death. Elsewhere, a synagogue president in Detroit was found stabbed to death outside her home. Police have not yet established a motive for the murder.

Read More: Kylie Jenner Deletes Post Supporting Israel, Mia Khalifa Calls On Journalists To Hold Her Accountable

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Macklemore Makes Bold Statement About Israel-Hamas Conflict

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Much of the news cycle this month has been dominated by the conflict emerging between Israel and Palestine. Many celebrities have taken the opportunity to share their thoughts on the situation, though they’ve also faced criticism as a result. Many have published very generic pro-Israel messages which are often met by cries from fans to consider the situation with a lot more nuance. Consequently, one person who impressed fans with his detailed take on the situation was OVO producer Noah “40” Shebib. He shared a multi-slide post urging his followers to take all sides into consideration and received praise from many in the music industry as a result.

Now, Macklemore is joining him. The rapper shared his own even more robust statement on the conflict. He denounced the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel as many have, but that wasn’t it. He also called out the Israeli government for the way it’s treated civilians. Mack even went as far as to describe their actions in more serious terms. “We are witnessing an unfolding genocide in Palestine at this very moment. A U.S.-backed human catastrophe in front of our eyes. Gaza is being demolished. Well over 1 million people have lost their homes. Schools, hospitals, places of worship obliterated,” he said. Check out his entire statement on Instagram below.

Read More: Macklemore Enlists Armani White For “No Bad Days” Remix

Macklemore Shares His Thoughts On Israel Conflict

 
 
 
 
 
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“We all have a voice and a platform to stand for what is right and just. Even if it’s a one-on-one conversation with someone,” he said later in his statement. Subsequently, as has been the case for many other celebs fans swarmed the comments to praise his statement. “Much respect brother, the vast majority of the people in your industry don’t have the Courage to say and spell out what you just did,” one of the top comments on the post reads.

Earlier this year Macklemore released his first new album in 6 years. The project was called Ben and featured appearances from artists like DJ Premier, NLE Choppa, and Morray. What do you think of Macklemore’s statement on the conflict in Israel and his willingness to call out both sides? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Chance The Rapper Reveals “A Lot Of Negatives” During Tour With Macklemore In Europe

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40 Calls Out The One Sided Support Amid Israel-Palestine Conflict

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Since the conflict in Israel began earlier this month, many celebrities have weighed in. Particularly in the music industry, many have taken up the stance of many western governments and shared pro-Israel messages. That got tricky for stars like Justin Bieber, who accidentally posted a picture conveying the opposite of his pro-Israel intentions. Now, OVO producer 40, whose real name is Noah Shebib, is sharing his thoughts. In a lengthy new Instagram post he expressed disappointment in how little support for Palestine is being put out.

he began discussing his own privileged perspective. “I live in Canada, one of the worlds most brutally violent colonial regimes. Still in active genocides against indigenous peoples. It’s hard to speak as I sit here benefiting from colonial violence to the highest degree. Believing in both the human rights of Palestinians and the right and need of a Jewish state has meant I have always had friends on both sides. And beyond the physical war, seeing them be pushed into extremism by such acts of violence is distressing,” he says in his first slide. But that’s only half of his message. Check out his full post below.

Read More: Noah “40” Shebib Shows Support For Megan Thee Stallion

40’s Thoughts On Israel-Palestine Conflict

40 continues. “This is what colonialism looks like. It’s what it’s always looked like. When will this stop? When will life win over death? The world did not come and stand with the Jewish people during the holocaust. Now we watch as the world does not come and stand with Palestine. I’m ashamed and devastated by it all.”

In the comments of the post, some notable names came to agree with him and show support. Talib Kweli, Mustafa, and DJ Premier are just a few of the big names in music who backed his statement. The post has already racked up more than 18k likes in just a few hours. What do you think of 40’s critiques of celebrity responses to the Israel-Palestine conflict? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Drake Shows Support For Noah “40” Shebib As He Deals With Health Issues

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Dennis Graham Thinks It’s Best Drake Doesn’t Speak on Israel Conflict

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Drake Becomes First Rapper to Earn $5 Million in a Single Arena Concert

Drake’s dad is just fine with Drake not speaking a word about the conflict in the Middle East. After DJ Vlad attempted to shade Drake for his decision not to speak, TMZ caught up with Dennis Graham, who thinks his son should stay out of it.

“It affects everybody, it’s totally ridiculous,” Graham said. “If you say something about this one you going to get criticized. If you say something about someone else you going to get criticized. Stay out of it, especially if you are someone well known.”

DJ Vlad is wondering where Drake and DJ Khaled’s voices are during the latest escalation of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. In case you missed it, Israel and Palestinian War has been raging after an attack by Hamas. You can learn more about the conflict here.

Hitting Twitter, Vlad blasted Drake and Khaled for how their status could illuminate the situation.

“Has anyone noticed that the most famous Jewish person on Earth, Drake, and the most famous Palestinian person on Earth, DJ Khaled, haven’t said a single thing about the Gaza-Israel conflict?” Vlad wrote. ” It’s not like Drake is too busy. He’s been writing paragraphs about Joe Budden hurting his feelings about his new album. DJ Khaled has been working overtime promoting his new Jordan sneakers. But both of them have been silent on this topic. Why is that?”

You can see his full statement below.

The post Dennis Graham Thinks It’s Best Drake Doesn’t Speak on Israel Conflict first appeared on The Source.

The post Dennis Graham Thinks It’s Best Drake Doesn’t Speak on Israel Conflict appeared first on The Source.

Dennis Graham Defends Drake’s Silence On Israel-Palestine

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Drake‘s father Dennis Graham defended his son’s decision not to speak out on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine during an interview with TMZ, Sunday. Graham argued that celebrities are “damned if they do, damned if they don’t” when it comes to discussing politics. Many voices have criticized the Toronto rapper’s silence, including DJ Vlad.

“I’m sure it affects everybody, you know what I’m saying?” Graham said to the outlet. “But just stay out of it, especially if you’re somebody that’s well-known.” He continued: “But be a celebrity and favor one against the other, and it’s going to come back on you. Stay out of it.”

Read More: Dennis Graham Calls Out Joe Budden Amid Drake Feud

Dennis Graham With Drake At The Billboard Music Awards

LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 21: Recording artist Drake (L) accepts the Top Artist award onstage with his father Dennis Graham during the 2017 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena on May 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

As for DJ Vlad’s criticism of Drake, he condemned the rapper along with DJ Khlaed in a lengthy post on Twitter, last week. He wrote: “Has anyone noticed that the most famous Jewish person on Earth, Drake, and the most famous Palestinian person on Earth, DJ Khaled, haven’t said a single thing about the Gaza-Israel conflict? It’s not like Drake is too busy. He’s been writing paragraphs about Joe Budden hurting his feelings about his new album.” He further theorized: “It’s because both are so thirsty to maintain their relevance that they wouldn’t dare risk insulting a segment of their fanbase. Heaven forbid that Drake might debut at #2 behind Taylor Swift because some of his Palestinian fans chose to not stream his album.”

Dennis Graham Comes To Drake’s Defense

It’s not the only time Graham has spoken out in defense of Drake in recent weeks. Amid Drake’s feud with Joe Budden, Graham also took his son’s side. Be on the lookout for any update on whether Drake breaks his silence on Israel and Palestine on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: DJ Vlad Condemns Drake & DJ Khaled For Silence On Israel-Palestine Conflict

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Erica Mena Weighs In On Israel-Palestine Conflict: “This Is Literally A Genocide”

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Erica Mena broke down into tears while discussing the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine on Instagram Live, earlier this week. The post comes after Mena was fired from Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta for using a racist slur during an argument with Spice, earlier this year.

“I love y’all, I appreciate y’all. I just want to clarify that because I really don’t want anyone to feel any type of way towards me,” she prefaced her comments, “I just really cannot be quiet knowing this is going on. This is literally a genocide in 2023. And us as Americans, we should do our part. We live in a free country, let’s be free to do what’s right for humanity, not religion, not land, not government, not politics, humanity.”

Read More: Bow Wow Might’ve Shaded Erica Mena On Instagram, Fans Call Him Out

Erica Mena Attends BET Social Awards

ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 11: Erica Mena attends BET’s Social Awards 2018 at Tyler Perry Studio on February 11, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)

From there she admitted that the topic is “affecting” her and thanked fans for their continued support. When The Neighborhood Talk shared her video on Instagram, fans had mixed responses. “Girl. Please. The slurs you use freely are remnants of the genocide black humans have faced. Just go back to sleep, chile,” one user wrote. Another wrote: “Erica pleaseeeeeeee this ain’t how you come back, hang it up and try again.” Check out Mena’s full post below.

Erica Mena Discusses Israel & Palestine

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by The Neighborhood Talk (@theneighborhoodtalk)

It’s not the first time that Mena has commented on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. On Saturday, she took her support to Twitter: “My heart hurts so much for all these innocent children, babies, women and the elderly. An actual genocide is happening right now and so many are quiet about it. Embarrassed our country is the funding behind it.” Be on the lookout for further updates on the conflict on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Spice Breaks Her Silence Amid Erica Mena Slur Controversy

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Floyd Mayweather’s Plane Lands In Israel, Delivers 5000 LBs Of Supplies

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Floyd Mayweather’s private plane has been confirmed as to have landed in Israel, bringing 5000 lbs of supplies to the nation. The plane was loaded with everything from food and water to bulletproof vests. “David Rubin is the child of Holocaust survivors. He is so tuned in to do anything he can for the survival of the Jewish people. When I called Floyd and asked him if he would be willing to send his plane to Israel with necessary supplies for soldiers, he said, ‘Of course. I got your back. I don’t care how much it costs. Make it happen,’” Mayweather’s friend Jona Rechnitz said of the efforts to get Mayweather involved.

Meanwhile, Mayweather also voiced his support for Israel on social media. “I stand with Israel against the Hamas terrorists. Hamas do not represent the people of Palestine but are a terrorist group that are attacking innocent lives! I stand for all humans and wish for the safe return of all Americans and Israelis and any human that were kidnapped as hostages during these horrific war crimes. This is not a time for politics. This is a time for safety first and foremost. God Bless America, God Bless Israel, God Bless Human Kind! I stand with Israel and Jews all around the world. I condemn antisemitism at all cost, I stand for Peace, I stand for Human Rights! Terrorism Is Never The Answer!” Mayweather said in a series of statements.

Read More: Madonna Begins “The Celebration Tour” With Call For Peace In Israel & Palestine

Israel-Palestine: Latest Updates

Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza grows ever more dire. A UN report suggests that fuel supplies in the enclave will only last another two days, putting already overcrowded hospitals at further risk. Meanwhile, the IDF has ordered over 1 million inhabitants of northern Gaza to evacuate to the south. However, many are afraid to do this after reports emerged of Israel bombing refugee convoys.

Elsewhere, Israeli troops are amassing on the Gazan border with a ground operation expected in the coming days. Furthermore, a Reuters videographer was killed when an Israeli shell hit a gathering of multi-national journalists covering fighting on the southern Lebanon border. Six others, who have been identified as Reuters, Al-Jazeera, and Agence France-Presse employees, were wounded in the incident. Overall, over 3600 people have died in the week following a brutal Hamas incursion into Israel. Additionally, Palestinian officials state that their death toll has already made it the greatest loss of life from the Palestinian side in any conflict with Israel to date.

Read More: Kylie Jenner Deletes Post Supporting Israel, Mia Khalifa Calls On Journalists To Hold Her Accountable

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Drake’s Dad Seemingly Responded On His Behalf Over The Decision To Stay Silent On The Israeli-Hamas Conflict

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Dennis Graham Drake Getty Grid
Getty Image

Drake has faced a lot of pushback recently over his latest solo album, For All The Dogs. Unfortunately, that’s not where the outrage ends. After his social media spats with Joe Budden and Andrew Tate, he’s decided to lay low for a while.

Still, others, including DJ Vlad, are looking to Drake to make a statement about the ongoing conflict between the Israel and Hamas. Drake’s father, Dennis Graham, seemed to offered a response on his behalf over the decision to stay silent. During an encounter with TMZ Saturday, October 14, Graham shared his thoughts.

When asked if Drake’s Jewish heritage intensified his sadness about the tension in the region, Graham replied, “I’m sure it affects everybody. It’s just totally ridiculous… If you say something about this one, you are going to get criticized. If you say something about someone else, you’re going to get criticized… It’s best to say out of it, especially if you’re someone that’s well known.”

He continued, “Being a celebrity and saying something that favoring one against the other it’s going to come back on you. Just be quiet.”

This isn’t the first time Drake has been called out for being silent on political issues. In July, Ebro Darden referred to Drake’s lack of discussion on Black issues while filming the Apple Music show Rap Life Review, which he later walked back.

For All The Dogs is out now via OVO Sounds/Republic Records. Find more information here.