Drake has once again appeared to signal support for Gaza, this time through lyrics in a new song premiered during his “FOMO” livestream on September 15.
The Toronto rapper uses the phrase “pray fi Gaza” in a bar that carries a deliberate double meaning, potentially referring both to the Palestinian territory and to “Gaza,” the name deeply associated with Jamaican dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel and the movement and fanbase surrounding him.
“Innah the world we a pray fi Gaza / Worl’ Boss home and a play with Gaza / Me brand new nickname ‘Baby Gaza,’ Drake raps in the unreleased track.
The lyrics move between the two meanings of “Gaza,” with “Worl’ Boss” being Vybz Kartel’s famous moniker and “Baby Gaza” referencing a nickname Drake has previously embraced in connection with the Jamaican star.
Drake publicly used the “Baby Gaza” nickname after sharing the stage with Kartel at Wireless Festival in London in July 2025. Following the performance, Drake posted photos with Kartel and Popcaan and referred to himself as “Baby Gaza.”
The new lyrics also draw heavily on Jamaican dancehall language and references associated with Popcaan, “Done know the Killy dem crazy barber,”further connecting the Gaza wordplay to the culture surrounding Kartel.
Popcaan emerged as a protégé of Kartel and became closely associated with the Gaza camp before establishing his own Unruly movement. Drake has maintained longstanding musical and personal ties with both artists, and in 2025 he gave Kartel a major spotlight during his Wireless Festival takeover in London, where Kartel performed in the UK for the first time in roughly two decades.
Against that dancehall backdrop, however, the opening phrase — “Innah the world we a pray fi Gaza” — gives the lyric an unmistakable second interpretation amid the continuing war and humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.
The line arrives at a particularly charged moment in the music industry.
Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour hit by Palestine controversy
Drake premiered the song as Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour became engulfed in controversy over the removal of Macklemore from its remaining U.S. dates and the subsequent withdrawal of the tour’s other supporting artists.
Macklemore had used his September 4 and 5 appearances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to express support for Palestinians, including saying “Free Palestine” and performing his protest song “Hind’s Hall.” His continued participation subsequently became an issue for venues scheduled to host later dates on Sheeran’s tour.
According to Sheeran and tour promoter Messina Touring Group, venues communicated that some remaining concerts would not proceed if Macklemore stayed on the lineup. Sheeran said publicly that removing the rapper was the promoter’s decision rather than his own.
One of the venue owners at the center of the dispute is New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, where Sheeran is scheduled to perform on September 25 and 26. Those dates remain listed on Sheeran’s official tour schedule.
Kraft confirmed his venue would not permit Macklemore to perform, citing what he characterized as Macklemore’s history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery as well as material from the MetLife performances. Macklemore disputes the characterization of his pro-Palestinian advocacy as antisemitic and has argued that criticism of Israel and Zionism should be distinguished from hostility toward Jewish people.
Macklemore also alleged that Kraft helped rally other stadium owners against his participation. Reporting confirms that multiple venues objected to Macklemore remaining on the tour, but Kraft’s responsibility for the decisions of other venues has not been independently established.
Sheeran subsequently sought to distance himself from the decision.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran said, explaining that venues had indicated they would pull concerts if the rapper remained on the bill. Sheeran said he had spent days attempting to reach a compromise while speaking with Kraft, promoters and people representing differing perspectives on the dispute.
Support acts walk away
The controversy escalated on September 15 as Aaron Rowe, Finneas and Lukas Graham announced they were withdrawing from Sheeran’s tour, while Irish traditional band Beoga — which had been appearing as part of Sheeran’s live show — also pulled out.
Rowe, who had been added to remaining U.S. dates following Macklemore’s removal, said his decision was influenced by Ireland’s history and his opposition to what he viewed as powerful figures suppressing artists speaking in support of Palestinians. He ended his statement with “FREE PALESTINE.”
Beoga, which has a longstanding relationship with Sheeran and has co-written and performed songs with him, similarly said continuing with the U.S. dates was no longer an option. The group directly criticized what it described as efforts by “zionist lobbies” to silence Macklemore and pointed to Kraft’s opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
Those broader claims reflect Beoga’s characterization of events. Reporting establishes that Kraft opposed Macklemore performing at Gillette Stadium and that several other venues separately objected to his continued involvement, but it does not independently establish all of the group’s claims regarding lobbying or coordination among venue owners.
Finneas and Lukas Graham subsequently joined the withdrawals. As of September 15, all of the remaining opening acts, along with Beoga, had announced they were leaving the tour in solidarity with Macklemore or in support of Palestinian advocacy.
The departures leave Sheeran facing an unusually public dispute over political expression, venue control and artists’ ability to use major concert platforms to address the war in Gaza.
And against that backdrop, Drake’s “pray fi Gaza” lyric is likely to draw particular attention.
While the surrounding bars clearly invoke Vybz Kartel’s Gaza movement and Jamaican dancehall culture, the wording simultaneously invokes Gaza in Palestine — giving Drake’s latest dancehall-inflected record a political resonance extending far beyond the music.
