On Monday (May 27) evening, Kehlani took to Instagram to criticize fellow artists for their silence on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war taking place in Palestine.

The “After Hours” singer specifically voiced outrage over the lack of commentary from highly influential figures in the music industry regarding the innocent lives lost throughout the region. “You can’t speak?! Disgusting,” Kehlani shared in a video. They added, “It’s f**k Israel. It’s f**k Zionism. And it’s f**k a lot of y’all, too.”

In the accompanying caption, they wrote, “I don’t got it no more. I just don’t. I tried hella ways to cope, and it doesn’t exist, and that’s okay. Nobody should know how to cope right now. I tried to drop some music and get my mind back right, [and] my focus back, and the rage is just EXTREMELY prevalent.”

The Bay Area native continued, “We don’t sell out shows without A CROWD FULL OF PEOPLE. The songs don’t chart without PEOPLE. The trends don’t trend without PEOPLE. You don’t draw a line at beheaded babies or people burnt alive after seven months of plenty of other atrocities? [I don’t care] about the [rollout], the formula, the strategy, [or] the algorithm at this point. I’m begging [you] to be people. Be a f**kin’ human being.”

In October 2023, Kehlani was among the many to sign Artists4Ceasefire’s appeal urging President Joe Biden and government officials to facilitate an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “We believe that the United States can play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering, and we are adding our voices to those from the U.S. Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others,” the open letter read.

That same year, The Weeknd donated $2.5 million from his XO Humanitarian Fund to support efforts in Gaza. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), his contributions fed over 173,000 Palestinians for two weeks.