Award winning rapper Stormzy has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his recent partnership with McDonald's. Fans of the Vossi Bop hitmaker, 31, had noticed an Instagram post advocating for a free Palestine shared by British artist in 2023 no longer appears on his page, with some falsely alleging he deleted it prior to agreeing to do an advert for McDonald's.
The advert has even prompted a response from former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has branded the collaboration as "hugely disappointing" and urged Stormzy to reconsider his partnership with the fast food restaurant. Stormzy had remained silent for over a week prior to this evening's lengthy statement.
"Stormzy, you went from speaking out for Palestine to wiping your posts for a McDonald’s deal? Guess your principles are as cheap as fast food, served with a side of hypocrisy," one Instagram user penned underneath McDonalds and Stormzy's post on last week, with another adding: "Enjoy your blood money and burgers.".
As Stormzy and McDonald's launched the campaign on February 12th, a third added: "These celebrities don’t have an ounce of integrity. One moment it’s 'free Palestine' and the next its brand deals with McDonalds. Stormzy ain’t no goat what a f***ing melt.".
Many who stand in solidarity with Palestine have been boycotting McDonalds over recent months due to the fast food restaurants past links to Israel and its army. While McDonalds isn't on the official Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) Movement list of companies to boycott, the BDS has endorsed the social media led movement and supported calls to stop spending money with the business.
Taking to Instagram on Friday to address the backlash, the Stormzy wrote: "Hey guys, I wanted to address some twisted narrative that has been circulating online this past week. Firstly, I didn't archive the post where I came out in support of Palestine for any reason outside of me archiving loads of IG posts last year. In that post, I spoke about #FreePalestine, oppression and injustice and my stance on this has not changed.
"The brands I work with can't tell me what to do and don't tell me what to do otherwise I wouldn't work with them. I do my own research on all brands I work with, gather my own information, form my own opinion and come to my own conclusion before doingbusiness. I'm writing this because I know there are people out there who have supported me and rooted for me who are genuinely confused and hurt by what they think has happened and I want to give those people clarity so I hope this helps.
"I understand it must feel disappointing and disheartening when it seems like someone you've championed has compromised their beliefs for commercial gain but this isn't the case here. Social media and the internet quickly pass judgment without full context. While I want to continue to be open and honest, I prefer not to respond immediately to every misunderstanding or clear up every false narrative that surrounds my name. Lots of love, Stormz.".
Stormzy's recent collaboration with McDonald's has raised eyebrows, especially considering his outspoken support for Palestine in past statements aligning with BDS boycotts. When the rapper's advert first launched last week, some fans accused him of wiping several posts from his Instagram account, including a powerful one affirming he will "be on the side of the oppressed".
Back in October 2023, having rekindled his romance with Maya Jama, Stormzy opened up to his 3.4 million followers by posting 14 "fleeting thoughts". Amongst heartfelt admissions and personal resolutions, he boldly stated "Free Palestine" and voiced his commitment to "be on the side of the oppressed", contemplating a hair transplant, and expressing a desire to become a father. His tenth thought was particularly poignant: "My 3 aspirations in life since I turned 30 is to just be a better Man of God, to hopefully become a Dad one day and to serve others.".
Over a year after sharing these intimate reflections, Stormzy has parted ways once more with Love Island star Maya Jama. There's no public record of when he removed or archived the particular post about Palestine, yet it appears other images have also been scrubbed from his main feed, now showing only 19 posts.
Sources close to The Mirror revealed last week that Stormzy performed a digital clean-up last year, archiving several posts the Palestine mention included. McDonald's rolled out The Stormzy Meal, featuring nine chicken nuggets, fries, barbecue dips, a Sprite Zero, and a choice between an Oreo McFlurry or an apple pie last week to a negative reaction online. Stormzy took to Instagram to hype up the collaboration , posting: "The Stormzy Meal. Big Mike x McD's. Available now," Despite the buzz, the post has been swamped with backlash, though the option to comment remains open.
Since October 2023, Palestinian solidarity groups have been shunning McDonald's after its Israeli branches pledged free meals to the Israeli military during the conflict with Palestine. April 2024 saw McDonald's reclaiming its 30-year-old Israel franchise from Alonyal, securing 225 outlets, but the social media led boycott remains.
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