Vic Mensa is throwing his support behind Kehlani for her stance on the war on Gaze.
Taking to Instagram, Mensa lauded Kehlani for her bold support of Palestine following two of her shows being cancelled.
“Few artists, and even fewer at your level of success, have chosen to center humanity and courage as boldly and uncompromisingly as you have, let alone at the peak of their popularity,” Mensa wrote in an open letter to Kehlani. “Although newer to religion, I have a deep-seated belief that god, or the universe, or however you categorize the all-powerful presence of the divine, is taking note of every selfless action, of every sacrifice, of every time we [jeopardize] our security to do what’s right. I toe the line with you.”
Mensa went on to say that he remained silent on the issue because of financial concerns and his growing family. In February, he announced the birth of his son Mansa Musa Mensa.
“I’ve been awe-inspired by the way you’ve stood up,” he wrote. “Especially at a time when I fell back. and I asked myself, ‘although I need to feed my son, what kind of man do I want to inspire him to be?’”
In April, Kehlani was slated to perform today at the annual Slope Day concert at Cornell University, but the show was canceled because Michael I. Kotlikoff, the university’s president, said the decision to have her perform “injected division and discord.”
In the aftermath of the cancellation at Cornell, Kehlani released a statement clarifying that her views are not antisemitic.
“I’m not antisemitic or anti-Jew,” the singer said. “I’m anti-genocide, anti-actions of the Israeli government, anti-extermination of entire people, anti-bombing of innocent children, men, and women. That’s what I’m anti.”
On Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams announced that Kehlani’s SummerStage concert has been canceled because of security concerns, due to her pro-Palestine views.
