Ed Sheeran’s cousin has called the pop star a “coward” and claimed he is “not a good person” following Macklemore’s removal from Sheeran’s tour amid the rapper’s outspoken support for Palestine.
The American rapper gave pro-Palestinian speeches and wore a keffiyeh scarf while serving as the opening act at two of Sheeran’s New Jersey shows earlier this month.
Jethro Sheeran, who is nine years older than the singer and has previously been involved in a bitter feud with him, weighed in on the controversy by saying he was “ashamed” of his cousin.
Writing in an angry Facebook post, he said: “Finally it’s all coming out! I’m ashamed of my cousin Ed and what he’s done.
“Finally the world and all his fans see through him. He’s not a good person, I don’t like his music so I can’t say he’s even a good artist.”
Sheeran, a long-time friend of Macklemore, has maintained that he played no part in the decision to remove the rapper from the tour.
Sources previously told the Daily Mail that the incident had left Sheeran “seriously upset,” as he has consistently sought to keep his personal political views private.
Jethro Sheeran also claimed that, although the cousins spent school holidays writing songs together, Ed “screwed him over” after finding fame.
Jethro Sheeran (right) and his famous cousin Ed are at the centre of a bitter family row
Macklemore (R) was dropped from Sheeran’s (L) tour after he delivered a politically motivated speech in support of Palestine
The bone of contention that sparked the feud centres around a track called Raise Em Up which Jethro recorded with Ed in 2010. It also featured in the 2013 movie All Stars.
Jethro had recorded a remixed version which co-credited Ed and featured his face in artwork.
He had hoped that re-releasing the track would help raise funds to help his daughter, Skyla Rain Sheeran, who is also an aspiring singer, get a start on a career in music.
But lawyers working for Ed’s record label, Warner Music, soon contacted Jethro to say they would take him to court unless he dropped references to Ed on the track.
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‘Ed Sheeran! He is shady and he’s dropped Macklemore himself I believe 100 per cent he’s a coward,’ Jethro continued in his post on Facebook.
‘In my opinion he’s a bad human. Just my opinion from my experiences.’
Several celebrities have backed Macklemore’s comments on Palestine, including Lewis Hamilton, who wrote: ‘Thank you for using your voice, standing with you.’
Activist Greta Thunberg said: ‘Full solidarity and free Palestine. Artists’ very active silence in the face of injustice and genocide will not be forgotten.’
Pop star Paloma Faith added: ‘You are a rare and important voice…thank you for existing…. This is so articulate and so powerful. You are a hero.’
Jethro, who is nine years older than Ed, says that when the now world famous singer was growing up the cousins would ‘hang out’, writing and recording tracks together
Macklemore delivered his politically-motivated speeches when he opened Sheeran’s shows at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4 and 5.
He was due to open for the singer at eight of the remaining ten shows on his tour in America, but on Monday it was announced he had been dropped.
Breaking his silence amid the backlash, Sheeran insisted Macklemore coming off the tour was the ‘promoter’s decision’, not his.
He added his audience is often young people ‘from different backgrounds’ who do not expect his shows to be a political forum.
Sheeran lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers in 24 hours amid the row over Palestine.
And after the news of Macklemore’s departure, all of Sheeran’s remaining support acts have also stepped away from the tour.
The Daily Mail has contacted Sheeran’s representatives for comment.