Drake has joined his friends and colleagues in the industry to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. The rapper alongside Jenifer Lopez, Vic Mensa, Miguel and more recently signed an open letter to President Joe Biden and the United States Congress, urging for an immediate end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.
The letter organized by Artists4Ceasefire reads, “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.”
It also stressed that they believe the United States can play a crucial diplomatic role in ending the suffering, echoing the sentiments of organizations like the U.S. Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, that have also called for an end to the conflict.
Other musicians who have signed the letter include Victoria Monét, Run The Jewels, Dua Lipa, Macklemore, Kehlani, 070 Shake, and more. You can read it in full letter here.
The recent conflict, which began on Oct. 7, reportedly led to a death toll of around 1,400 Israelis and over 7,300 Palestinians. Earlier this month, hip hop commentator and alleged informant, DJ Vlad raised questions on social media regarding Drake and DJ Khaled’s silence on the conflict.
“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 on X, formerly Twitter. ” 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?”
Drake’s father, Dennis Graham in an interview with TMZ explained that some artists, including his son, may be hesitant to speak out due to the potential for criticism, regardless of the stance they take, “If you say something about this one, you’re going to get criticized, and if you say something about someone else, you’re going to get criticized.”
Do you think senior Graham has a point?
