Grammy-Award-winning Palestinian-American producer DJ Khaled is facing mounting pressure from left-wing activists, fellow music artists, and his own cousin to express opposition to Israel’s self-defense operations in Gaza following the harrowing Hamas attacks of October 7.
Cousin Fadie Musallet, the head of a charity organization in Dubai called The Giving Family and presence on the first season of the Netflix reality series Dubai Bling, told the Emirati newspaper The National on Wednesday that he does not believe DJ Khaled would be welcome in the Palestinian territories if he attempted to visit, as locals “really feel like they have been let down.”
Writing this month, Palestinian journalist Maysa Mustafa compiled disappointed messages from Palestinians on social media who declared DJ Khaled “the worst Palestinian in the world” and lamented that the ostentatious hip-hop artists has used his online presence to post videos boasting of his prodigious wealth, including a widely ridiculed video in which he appears to use bodyguards to carry him to prevent his expensive sneakers from getting dirty.
@revolt #DJKhaled was not trying to get his J’s dirty by any means 😩 #jordans
DJ Khaled is a Palestinian-American DJ, producer, and hip-hop artist known for his collaborations with rappers such as Drake, Jay-Z, and Rick Ross. His parents are Palestinian immigrants who settled initially in New Orleans; DJ Khaled moved to Florida and has remained a fixture in the Miami celebrity scene since achieving stardom.
At press time, the artist has yet to make any public comments on the situation in Israel following the October 7 Hamas attack. He has often discussed his identity as the son of immigrants and expressed pride in his family, but not made any overtly political statements taking a stance either in favor or against Palestinian terrorist activity against Israel.
In what has become the most prominent statement DJ Khaled has made on the decades of conflict in the region, he posted a message on Instagram in 2021 reading, “sending love and light and prayers to my Palestinian brothers & sisters and Everyone around the world.”
“IM [sic] PRAYING FOR PEACE AND LOVE TO THE WORLD,” he added. That message also preceded a wave of condemnation for not opposing Israel publicly.
DJ Khaled’s silence has prompted mounting outrage from pro-Palestinian voices.
“Khaled always wanted to go to Palestine, but I don’t think he can come there now,” Musallet, his cousin, told The National. “They are really hurt by the lack of support, they really feel like they have been let down.”
Musallet suggested Khaled was protecting his financial interests with his silence.
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 that came out to celebrate DJ Khaled’s birthday at an over-the-top party at the Perez Art Museum to close out Art Basel. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
“At some point there must be a stage where you have to ask yourself how much money is enough, you know what I am saying?” Musallet asked. “And I know that Khaled is not afraid to use his important voice as he did before, during the Black Lives Matter protests. So what has changed now? We are all humans at the end of the day and when it comes to Palestine, we are talking about people that are our own blood.”
Writing for the magazine New Lines, Mustafa suggested that Palestinians who had previously overlooked DJ Khaled’s “embarrassing at times” public persona to support a compatriot may soon no longer do so if they feel he does not also support them. Mustafa condemned DJ Khaled’s social media stunts, such as the sneaker video, writing, “tone deaf doesn’t even begin to describe” his behavior. The writer ultimately concluded, however, that Palestinians do not need his celebrity to advance their cause.
“Do Palestinians need someone who can’t pronounce the word baklava correctly to advocate on their behalf in the West?” Mustafa asked, concluding a “majority” of Palestinians “have come to terms with him being a lost cause.”
DJ Khaled has also faced criticism from fellow music artists. In Nigeria, a country with a sizable Muslim population, Afrobeat musician Seun Kuti condemned the America as a braggart who had abandoned his people.
“DJ Khaled is from Palestine. This man has not said one word about the killing of his people. But let one trainers or wristwatch come out, he would post that he has acquired it to prove that he is the greatest man,” Kuti declared in early April. “But he cannot speak against the killing of women and children in his home country.”
Comedian D.L. Hughley enthusiatically condemned the producer in a recent interview, rebranding him “DJ Callous” for failing to oppose Israel.
“To me, you have gone from DJ Khaled to DJ Callous. You cannot be so oblivious that you forget that the images that you are portraying have an equal and opposite effect. And what it tells people is that if somebody that looks like them doesn’t care, why should you?” Hughley asked.
DJ Khaled is seen out and about on March 18, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by MEGA/GC Images)
DJ Khaled has received some support from at least one member of the hip-hop community: rapper Ja Rule, who told TMZ in October that the Hamas atrocities of October 7 were a “tough thing” and defended artists who chose not to speak vocally about politics.
“I don’t think anybody is obligated to do anything just because they’re a public figure. I mean, I know there is expectations for people but it’s a tough thing, man,” Ja Rule said. “Sometimes just people make a decision in their careers to stay away from politics, to stay away from certain things that are tough topics to speak on, you know, religion, these things are tough.”
“And then other times people don’t maybe feel like they are educated enough to speak on it right away. So give people time to do what they’re doing,” Ja Rule advised.
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