Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran US tour after pro-Palestinian remarks

NEW: Macklemore says he has been dropped from Ed Sheeran's US stadium tour after shouting 'Free Palestine' at a New Jersey concert, following pressure from venue owners including Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Macklemore says two words got him kicked off Ed Sheeran's stadium tour. Free Palestine.

He said them on stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4, telling the crowd he wanted people from Gaza to the occupied West Bank to know they haven't been forgotten. What followed, by his own account, was a week of difficult conversations with Sheeran, and then the door.

Here's who closed it. Macklemore says Patriots owner Robert Kraft rallied fellow stadium owners, who told the promoter they would not host shows with him on the bill. Kraft says he fights antisemitism and felt a line was crossed. Macklemore says criticising Israel's war in Gaza is not antisemitism, and he's not backing down. Sheeran, notably, has said nothing at all.

So one billionaire venue owner just decided who performs in American stadiums. That's the part worth sitting with.

This is Angel Manalo, reporting for HIT.