While many musicians remain silent on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Kehlani is showing support for Palestine. In their new music video for “Next 2 U,” the R&B artist and a group of dancers don keffiyehs and perform in front of Palestinian flags. “They gon’ have to come get me / They gon’ have to see about me / to get next to you,” Kehlani sings, transforming the song’s romantic lyrics into a statement of solidarity. (“Next 2 U” is a single from their upcoming, yet-to-be-announced album.)
The video opens with a poignant anti-war quote from Palestinian poet Hala Alyan: “Keep your moon / We have our own / Keep your army / We have our name / Keep your flag / We have fruits and in / All the right colors.” It concludes with a powerful message about the children killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. “We tried to make a scroll honoring the names of thousands of deceased children,” it reads. “The list was so long that our fastest scroll at 3 minutes was illegible.” Kehlani encourages fans to read the list of names “at your own pace.”
Sunday May 25, 2024 strike on a camp in Rafah that killed at least 45 people, according to Gazan authorities.
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