Belly has announced that he is donating the proceeds from his new album 96 Miles from Bethlehem to support Palestine.
The XO rapper made the announcement on Instagram, where he wrote: “I got a lot more to say.. 96 Miles From Bethlehem. Tomorrow.. (profits from the album and merch will donated to Gaza, the WestBank and other affected areas around Palestine).”
Belly, who was born in Palestine before moving to Canada when he was seven, has been an outspoken advocate for the country during its ongoing war with Israel.
He previously wrote on Instagram: “Fuck politics… fuck your fake complexities… and fuck the media. If you’ve reached a point in life where you think its ok to kill innocent people, to cut off basic human needs from an entire population that’s 50% children, then you’re a sociopath.
“This is not a political issue… it’s a human issue. I’m heartbroken for my people and ashamed for almost everybody else.”
He also said: “If you’re killing civilians and decimating entire cities, what makes you any better than the terrorists you say you’re hunting?”
Belly has also called his upcoming project, which drops on Friday (May 31), “the most special album of my life.”
Earlier this week, Kehlani called out fellow artists for not using their platforms to speak out on the war in Palestine that has killed over 36,000 people and displaced around two million since it began in October.
In a series of Instagram videos, the singer criticized her “peers of highly fucking platformed people, well paid people who have already beat the fucking game” for their silence on the conflict, saying: “You can’t speak?! Disgusting.”
She also said during the impassioned P.S.A.: “It’s fuck Israel. It’s fuck Zionism. And it’s fuck a lot of y’all too.”
40 Speaks Out Against Lack Of Support For Palestine: ‘I’m Ashamed & Devastated’
Kehlani additionally wrote in the caption: “What’s good yall??? we don’t sell out shows without A CROWD FULL OF PEOPLE. the songs don’t chart without PEOPLE. the trends don’t trend without PEOPLE. you don’t draw a line at beheaded babies or people burnt alive after 7 months the of plenty of other atrocities?”
Her post was supported by Mackelmore who has also been outspoken in his criticism of Israel’s actions during the war.
He commented: “Goosebumps… every word. You been showing up the entire time. For inspiring me.”
