‘Ed Sheeran isn’t my family any more’ Superstar’s cousin blasts him for Macklemore mess

British superstar Ed Sheeran told his fans in Philadelphia last Saturday night that his family has “abandoned” him following the controversy over rapper Macklemore being dropped from his US tour.

One family member who has been very vocal is Sheeran’s cousin, Jethro ‘Alonestar’ Sheeran, who blasted his famous family member online and said that he is ashamed to be related to him.

In an interview with THE STAR, Jethro said he has not spoken to Sheeran privately about the issue of Macklemore being removed from his Loop tour after Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the Gillette Stadium and New England Patriots, said that the rapper’s call to ‘free Palestine’ was hate speech and banned him from the venue. Other stadium owners in the US followed suit.

“I don’t wanna speak to Ed, he’s not my family any more,” Jethro told THE STAR. “I can’t speak for the rest of my family. I will not be silenced and especially not by him.”

Jethro, a British rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, has collaborated with Sean ‘Contractor’ Edwards on reggae and dancehall projects. He said that Sheeran tried to take down his music online.

“What kind of person does that? He tried to take down out Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica from all platforms, but only succeeded with Apple. If he does it to me, his first cousin, he’s gonna be Judas to Macklemore also. That’s what I believe.”

Following the backlash caused by Macklemore’s removal, Sheeran released a statement to “set out some facts”, noting that US tour promoters and stadium owners like Kraft made the decision, not him. Quizzed if he saw the value of that explanation, or if he believed that Sheeran should have used his star power to stand up to them, Jethro was blunt in his response..

“I see no value in it, he’s a coward,” Jethro stated.

He added, “I don’t think Ed has star power. Star power is Bob Marley, 2Pac, Jesus … people that really speak the real truth, that’s who I look up to … real spiritual warriors. Ed is just a little boy.”

Jethro, who is involved in the urban/hip-hop scene under the moniker Alonestar, said that he didn’t think that Sheeran fully understands the cultural expectation in hip-hop to speak out on socio-political issues like the situation Gaza.

“He’s a just a pop star … that means nothing … he will just go with the narrative of the elite and fade away. Mark my words. he will be gone soon and play a few pubs or something somewhere,” he said.

Among the questions that have arisen following the fallout which saw Sheeran’s backing band and opening acts quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, is whether or not artistes should use their stage as a political platform, or should politics and music remain separate. And further, how politically correct was it for Macklemore to do this kind of thing on somebody else’s tour, rather than his own.

Jethro is adamant that Sheeran was not blindsided by Macklemore.

“Ed knew the stance. He knew Macklemore’s set months before the tour. For me, at my shows, I don’t speak on politics too much as I only believe in God and Jesus Christ. I don’t believe anything any more in the press, as it’s all smoke and mirrors. ‘Politriks’ and propaganda. What do I truly know from my TV and newspaper? Nothing. I follow one man ... Jesus Christ.”

On Saturday, his first show since the controversy, Sheeran apologised and said that he “never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet”.

He continued, “What happened in Israel at the Nova Music Festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”

Jethro, however, was dismissive of the speech.

“I think a politician wrote it for him,” he declared.