Rapper Macklemore sorry for ‘anti-Semitic’ costume
Rapper Macklemore has posted an apology on his website, saying he did not mean to mock Jewish people by wearing a costume that some say was anti-Semitic during a performance in the US.
Macklemore, who had a number one in the UK last year with Thrift Shop, said he randomly chose the pieces of the costume he wore at Friday’s performance in Seattle so he could disguise himself and move freely around during the secret show. It was not meant to be a caricature of a Jewish man, he said.
“I respect all cultures and all people,” he wrote. “I would never intentionally put down anybody for the fabric that makes them who they are. I love human beings, love originality, and … happen to love a weird outfit from time to time.”
Grammy Award winners Macklemore & Ryan Lewis made the appearance at the EMP Museum in their home town to help celebrate the debut of a new exhibition.
Photos from the concert show Macklemore, 30, wearing a black wig and beard and a fake hooked nose. Macklemore and Lewis gained widespread fame with a message supporting diversity, and their hit song One Love calls for tolerance and support for members of the gay community.
The two performed the song at January’s Grammy Awards while several same-sex couples were married, and they have been lauded for their progressive messages.
Lewis and his mother appeared on Anderson Cooper’s show on CNN to talk about their HIV-Aids charity efforts before Macklemore posted his message.
In a postscript, the rapper pointed out the work of the Anti-Defamation League, formed to fight anti-Semitism, providing a link to the group’s website.
“I acknowledge how the costume could, within a context of stereotyping, be ascribed to aJewish caricature,” he wrote. “I am here to say that it was not absolutely not my intention, and unfortunately at the time I did not foresee the costume to be viewed in such regard. I’m saddened that this story, or any of my choices, would lead to any form of negativity.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
