‘It’s f— Israel, it’s f—Zionism,’ said Kehlani, who has also endorsed ‘resistance in all its forms’ and called for ‘intifada’
Cornell University has dropped Kehlani as the headliner of its annual spring concert after the R&B singer’s anti-Semitic statements caused an uproar among students and parents, the Ivy League school’s president, Michael Kotlikoff, announced Wednesday.
Kotlikoff said Kehlani’s selection “has injected division and discord into Slope Day” and prompted “grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media.”
“For that reason,” Kotlikoff said, “I am rescinding Kehlani’s invitation and expect a new lineup for a great 2025 Slope Day to be announced shortly.”
The move comes just days after Kotlikoff expressed concern over Kehlani’s long history of pro-terror rhetoric but said it was “too late to secure another performer that will be acceptable or appropriate for Slope Day.” The annual concert marks the end of the school year and often features A-list artists, who are paid handsomely thanks to a Student Activities Fee that is mandatory for all undergraduates.
Cornell announced Kehlani as the Slope Day headliner on April 10, just two days after White House officials confirmed they had frozen more than $1 billion in funding to the school amid a civil rights probe into campus anti-Semitism. What is traditionally a celebratory event quickly turned into a controversial one as campus groups like Cornellians for Israel expressed shock over Kehlani’s activism. The singer posted a series of Instagram videos last May, for example, in which she attacked musical artists who did not publicly condemn Israel. “It’s fuck Israel, it’s fuck Zionism, and it’s also fuck a lot of y’all too,” she said. Days later, she released the music video for her single “Next 2 U,” which opened with a graphic reading, “Long live the Intifada.” Kehlani has made similar pro-terror statements in Instagram posts reading, “DISMANTLE ISRAEL. ERADICATE ZIONISM,” “There is only one solution, intifada revolution,” “Long live resistance in all of its forms,” and, “No one should feel comfortable or safe until Zionism is extinguished.”
“The scum of the earth. You’re the scum of the earth,” Kehlani wrote in another post referencing Zionists. “I can’t imagine a Zionist would still be following me at this point. Go to hell.”
Cornellians for Israel referenced those statements in a petition it circulated. “The fact that the university would allow for students to bring in a performer with views that actively call for violence to an event where she is supposed to represent all students makes me feel like I am not a respected member of this community,” it read.
After Kotlikoff’s announcement, the group updated the petition with the message, “Thanks to your help, the school has announced that Kehlani will not be performing at Slope Day! We truly appreciate your support in this endeavor—we would not have succeeded without you!”
Slope Day is funded through Cornell’s Student Activities Fee, which is mandatory for all undergraduates. It sat at $384 per student this school year and will rise to $424 next year. Fifty dollars from each student’s fee goes specifically to Slope Day, generating a budget of roughly three quarters of a million dollars. While it’s unclear how much Kehlani would have been paid, $350,000 was allocated to talent last year, according to the student-led Slope Day Programming Board, which organizes the event.
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