Grammy Award-winning Palestinian-American producer DJ Khaled has called on left-wing activists, music and others to speak out against Israel’s self-defense operations in Gaza following the devastating Hamas attack on October 7th. He faces increasing pressure from fellow artists and his own cousin.
Cousin Fadi Musallet, head of a charity organization in Dubai called The Giving Family, who appears in the first season of the Netflix reality series dubai blinghe told the Emirati newspaper. The National He said on Wednesday that he did not think DJ Khaled would be welcomed if he tried to visit the Palestinian territories because locals “feel really let down.”
This month’s author, Palestinian journalist Maysa Mustafa Edited Disappointing messages from Palestinians on social media have declared DJ Khaled “the worst Palestinian in the world,” and ostentatious hip-hop artists have capitalized on his online presence. , lamented that he posted a video boasting about his vast wealth. Apparently they use bodyguards to carry him around so his expensive sneakers don’t get dirty.
@rebellion #DJKKhaled I never tried to taint his J 😩 #jordan
DJ Khaled is a Palestinian-American DJ, producer, and hip-hop artist known for his work: collaboration He has performed with rappers such as Drake, Jay-Z, and Rick Ross. His parents were Palestinian immigrants who first settled in New Orleans. DJ Khaled moved Since moving to Florida and achieving stardom, he has remained an integral part of Miami’s celebrity scene.
At the time of writing, the artist has yet to publicly comment on the situation in Israel following the October 7 Hamas attack. Although he frequently discusses his identity as the son of immigrants and expresses pride in his family, he does not take overtly political stances for or against Palestinian terrorist activities against Israel. I haven’t made any statements.
In what has become the most prominent statement DJ Khaled has made regarding the region’s decades-long conflict, he posted: message In 2021, she posted on Instagram: “Sending love, light and prayers to my Palestinian brothers and sisters and everyone around the world.”
“I [sic] “I pray for peace and love in the world,” he added.That message too preceded A wave of criticism for not openly opposing Israel.
DJ Khaled’s silence increased the anger of pro-Palestinian voices.
“Khaled always wanted to go to Palestine, but I don’t think he can come there now,” said his cousin Musalet. The National. “They really feel hurt and let down by the lack of support.”
Musallet suggested that Khalid may be protecting his financial interests by remaining silent.
In this May 20, 2018 file photo, DJ Khaled arrives at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. Meek Mill, Busta Rhymes and Fat Joe were among the rappers who showed up to celebrate DJ Khaled’s birthday at a glitzy party at the Perez Museum to close out Art Basel. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
“There’s always going to be a point where you have to ask yourself how much money is enough? You know what I’m saying?” Musallet asked. “And I know that Khalid is not afraid to use his important voice, just as he used to during the Black Lives Matter protests. So what’s changed now? After all, we are all human beings, and when it comes to Palestine, we are talking about people of our own descent.”
writing for magazines new line, Mustafa says Palestinians who have ignored DJ Khaled’s “sometimes embarrassing” public appearances in the past to support their fellow countrymen will soon stop doing so if they feel he doesn’t support them either. suggested that it might. Mustafa condemned DJ Khaled’s social media stunts, including the sneaker video, writing that “tone-deaf doesn’t even begin to explain” his actions. However, the writer ultimately concluded that Palestinians did not need his celebrity to further their cause.
“Do Palestinians need someone who cannot pronounce the word baklava correctly to represent and advocate for them in the West?” Mustafa asked, adding that “the vast majority” of Palestinians believe that “he is a lost man.” “I accept that this is a worthy cause.”
DJ Khaled has also faced criticism from fellow music artists. In Nigeria, which has a large Muslim population, Afrobeats musician Seun Kuti accused the United States of being too bigoted for abandoning its own people.
“DJ Khaled is from Palestine. This man has never said a word about killing his own people. But when the trainers and watches come out, he wears them to prove he is the greatest man. I’ll post that I got it,” Kuti said. declared In early April. “But he cannot object to the killing of women and children in his home country.”
In a recent interview, comedian DL Hughley passionately criticized a producer who did not speak out against Israel, renaming him “DJ Kalous.”
“For me, you went from DJ Khaled to DJ Calous. You can’t be so cavalier that you forget that the image you’re portraying has an equally opposite effect. And that’s what people want. The message is, if people who look like you don’t care, why should you?” Hughley said. Asked.
On March 18, 2024, DJ Khaled was spotted out in Miami, Florida. (Photo provided by: MEGA/GC Images)
DJ Khaled has received some support from at least one member of the hip-hop community, rapper Ja Rule. Said TMZ said in October that Hamas’s brutality on October 7 was “terrible” and defended artists who choose not to speak out about politics.
“I don’t think anyone is obligated to do something just because they’re a public figure. I mean, I know there are expectations of people, but it’s hard,” Ja Rule said. “Sometimes people make a decision in their career to distance themselves from politics or to distance themselves from certain things that are difficult to talk about, like religion, or other difficult things.”
“Also, some people may not feel educated enough to talk about it right away. So give people time to do what you’re doing,” Ja Rule advised .
