Rapper Drake Criticises DJ Khaled for Silence on Palestinian Issue

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Canadian rapper Drake has criticised DJ Khaled for his silence on the Palestinian issue and the Israel-Gaza war. The criticism appears in a song titled “Make Them Pay” on Drake’s latest album, Iceman.

Drake surprised fans by releasing three albums simultaneously on Friday: Iceman, Maid of Honour, and Habibti. However, public attention has focused on a lyric in “Make Them Pay” that directly addresses Palestine and DJ Khaled’s silence.

“And Khaled, you know what I mean. Your people are still waiting for Palestine to be free, but apparently it’s not all black and white, red and green. I’m really seeing everyone’s true colours,” Drake raps in the song, as quoted by The National on Friday (15/5/2026).

The lyrics are seen as a direct jab at DJ Khaled, who has Palestinian heritage but has never spoken out in support of Palestine. Khaled has even been criticised by some fans and activists for not openly expressing support for Gaza during the ongoing war.

Despite being Jewish, Drake has previously shown support for Palestine. In October 2023, he signed a letter from Artists4Ceasefire calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. In addition, in August 2025, Drake was seen responding to pro-Palestinian demonstrators from the balcony of his hotel in Copenhagen.

Public pressure on DJ Khaled to speak out about Palestine has been ongoing for some time. In 2024, Khaled’s cousin, Fadie Musallet, a Palestinian-American social entrepreneur, expressed the disappointment of the Palestinian community with the musician’s silence.

“Khaled has always wanted to go to Palestine, but I don’t think he can go there now. They are really hurt by the lack of support, they feel they have been let down,” Musallet said.

Musallet also questioned why Khaled had previously spoken out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement but chose to remain silent on Gaza. “At some point, you have to ask yourself: how long can your career be more important than speaking out? And I know Khaled is not afraid to use his influential voice like he did in the past during the Black Lives Matter protests. So what has changed now?” Musallet said.

Drake officially introduced what he called the “Iceman era” on Thursday night through the fourth episode of his livestream series. In the broadcast, he announced that all three of his albums would be released simultaneously.