Shortly after Oakland-born R&B singer Kehlani dropped out of headlining the SoSF Pride block party under cryptic circumstances, two more acts have pulled out — and they’re lambasting the organizers.
In a joint statement to The Standard, DJ Adam Kraft, founder of the event company Fake and Gay, and Nicki Jizz, creator of the “Reparations” drag show, said they took issue with a statement the festival made last month about Kehlani’s vocal support of Palestine.
“We were excited to be a part of the debut of the SoSF festival until a post was made about how they disagreed with Kehlani and her views about the genocide taking place in Palestine,” the performers wrote.
The post the performers were referring to was a statement SoSF published after Cornell University and another New York concert axed Kehlani from their lineups over her “antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments.”
“While we fundamentally disagree with the kind of language Kehlani has used to speak on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we chose to engage with her team, rather than withdraw her invitation to perform,” the festival wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post.
The post included what SoSF said was a joint statement by Kehlani and the festival in an apparent attempt to assuage criticism about her performance.
“No person should ever fall casualty of a war they did not choose and do not support,” the statement read in part. “This sentiment extends to Jewish people, the same way it extends to Palestinian people, the same way it extends to all people.”
Kehlani’s 2024 music video for her song “Next 2 U” begins with the text “LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA” and features her singing in front of a Palestinian flag. She has reposted videos by Palestinians asking for medical support and other aid, as well as posts condemning the “Israeli Occupation Force.”
It’s unclear why she dropped out of the festival, scheduled for June 28, after publishing the statement with SoSF. Her agents did not respond to requests for comment.
A SoSF representative previously told The Standard the parting was an “amicable decision.”
“Unfortunately, she came back and decided she didn’t want to be in the lineup anymore,” he said.
The representative did not respond to requests for further comment.
Kraft and Jizz said they dropped out because they didn’t feel they were being represented “at a time when Pride should be more meaningful than a cash grab.”
“Reparations” and Fake and Gay “stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people,” the two wrote. “Pride started as a riot, and with civil rights and queer rights currently being infringed upon, this is the time to stand up.”