DJ Khaled was put on the spot this week by a streamer pressing him to publicly back Palestine after Drake took direct aim at the producer on his new album, Iceman.
On the track "Make Them Pay," Drizzy zeroes in on Khaled's well documented silence about the conflict in Gaza, which holds extra weight being that Khaled is of Palestinian descent and has faced sustained criticism from activists since late 2023 over his refusal to address the conflict on social media.
"And Khaled, you know what I mean / The beef was fully live, you went halal, and got on your deen," Drake raps on the track. "And your people are still waitin' for a Free Palestine / But apparently, everything isn't black and white and red and green, man. I'm seeing everyone's true colours, for real."
Following the release of Iceman, a clip of a streamer pressing Khaled to show support for Palestine drew immediate attention online.
In the video, the streamer tells Khaled: "Yo, Free Palestine, say it one time." The Miami native then turns to the camera, flashes a peace sign, and says, "Peace and love to everybody," avoiding the request.
Drake's Khaled verse carries an added layer as "Make Them Pay" is built around a prominent sample of "Wahdon" by Lebanese icon Fairuz, grounding the critique in the very cultural tradition Khaled has been accused of abandoning, according to AltBollywood.
Khaled shared a post on Instagram after the diss, saying he would ignore any negativity that comes his way.
“LET GOD RISE AND ALL HIS ENEMIES SCATTER," Khaled wrote in the caption for the post. "No man nuh badda than JAH and wi a run JAH crew. Unoo come in a unoo thousands and two. They stand against you and hating me. Dem just cannot go through dem heart nuh clean nor free. I remind dem so much of who they are supposed to be. I am of royalty dem lost dem identity."
The 6 God and Khaled share a long commercial history, having collaborated on hits including "I'm on One," "Popstar," and "Greece," with both artists releasing through Universal Music Group and Republic Records.
Drake's triple-album drop, Iceman, Maid of Honor, and Habibti, spread its fire well beyond Khaled. The project is filled with shots at Kendrick Lamar's height and public image, J. Cole for staying neutral during the Lamar feud, Lebron James switching teams, and more.
Check out Complex's breakdown of the subliminal shots and disses on Iceman here.
