Macklemore releases ‘Hind’s Hall 2’ featuring Palestinian artists

American rapper Macklemore released another pro-Palestine single, ‘Hind’s Hall 2’, four months after the first ‘Hind’s Hall’ dropped and became an anthem for pro-Palestine protests. The second iteration features Palestinian rapper MC Abdul, Palestinian-American author and comedian Amer Zahr, and Arab-American singer Anees Mokhiber.

According to Macklemore’s Instagram, all proceeds from ‘Hind’s Hall 2’ will go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as they did for the first song.

The song’s title refers to the renaming of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after student protestors occupied the building in May and began calling it “Hind’s Hall” as a tribute to six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed by the Israeli military in Gaza.

Unlike the previous song, ‘Hinds Hall 2’ is not accompanied by a music video, but instead features a photograph of Palestinian children taken by Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza.

The new single also differs from the old one musically. While the first song featured Macklemore’s rap atop pulsating rhythms, the second song is softer and more melodic. ‘Hind’s Hall 2’ opens with a verse from Mokhiber, whose vocals are complemented by harmonies by the LA Palestine Kids Choir and the Lifted Youth Gospel Choir.

Mokhiber sings, “In our lifetime we will be free, and they can bury us, but they will find out we are seeds.”

Macklemore’s rap, layered over the beats from the first ‘Hind’s Hall’, comes in at the three-minute mark of the five-minute-long song, and remains as memorable and powerful as the previous song.

In ‘Hind’s Hall 2’, Macklemore addresses the democratic candidate for the US presidential election, Kamala Harris.

“Hey Kamala, I don’t know if you listening, but stop sending money and weapons, you ain’t winning Michigan. We are committed, and hell no we ain’t switching positions, because the whole world turned Palestinian.”

The rapper is one of the few mainstream Western musicians who has consistently raised his voice for the Palestinian cause, both on social media and during his live performances. He is also set to perform at the Palestine Will Live Forever festival in Seattle on September 21 alongside Palestinian artists and speakers.

Macklemore’s Instagram post announcing the release of the song has amassed over 45,000 likes in three hours.

The American rapper rose to global stardom with ‘Thrift Shop’ after collaborating with producer Ryan Lewis as the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2013 — the first song since 1994 to top the Hot 100 chart without the support of a major record label.

Their second single, ‘Can’t Hold Us’, also peaked at number one on the Hot 100 chart, making Macklemore and Lewis the first duo in the chart’s history to have their first two singles both reach the peak position.