US rapper Macklemore’s departure from America has been delayed, the NRL says, pushing back his arrival for the weekend’s grand final entertainment.
A media conference planned for Friday afternoon in Sydney had been cancelled, the NRL said in a statement.
It did not say whether it would be rescheduled.
US rapper Macklemore’s departure from America has been delayed, the NRL says, pushing back his arrival for the weekend’s grand final entertainment
American rapper Macklemore’s popular ‘gay anthem’ has crawled back to number one (pictured) on the charts after a wild 24 hours of controversy
The delay comes as conservative commentators hit out at the US star, who is set to perform his marriage equality anthem Same Love at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night, when Melbourne and North Queensland face off in the rugby league decider.
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said he did not regret choosing the rapper, labelling it one of the bravest decisions the league had made for pre-match entertainment.
The NRL and AFL have backed the yes campaign in the same-sex marriage postal survey.
Macklemore told a radio show in the US this week he had received ‘a lot of tweets from angry old white men’ and vowed to ‘go harder’ because of the furore.
‘Imma go harder, Imma love,’ he told The Cruz Program.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott and right-wing independent MP Bob Katter have slammed the NRL for inviting the rapper to perform at the grand final, saying footy fans should not be subjected to a politicised grand final.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott (centre) has slammed the NRL for inviting the rapper to perform at the grand final, saying footy fans should not be subjected to a politicised grand final
‘Footy fans shouldn’t be subjected to a politicised grand final. Sport is sport,’ Mr Abbott wrote on Twitter on Tuesday
US rapper Macklemore has canned his Friday press conference only two days out from his performance at the NRL grand final on Sunday (2016 grand final pictured)
Macklemore was slammed Wednesday for choosing to perform the song celebrating same-sex marriage
Senior coalition figure George Brandis criticised Mr Abbott for his selective backing of free speech.
‘For Mr Abbott and anyone else to say that it should be banned I think is a bizarre thing to say. I thought Mr Abbott believed in freedom of speech,’ he told ABC TV on Thursday.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Same Love was one of the singer’s top songs and the NRL backed same-sex marriage.
‘What’s the problem,’ he told the Nine Network on Friday. ‘I look forward to it.’
‘Same Love’, a song celebrating same-sex relationships, first hit number in Australia in 2013 (‘Same Love’ music video pictured)
A media conference planned for Friday afternoon in Sydney had been cancelled, the NRL said in a statement
The American rapper will be entertaining huge crowds at the NRL grand final on Sunday between Melbourne (right) and North Queensland (left)