Stormzy Faces Backlash for Deleting Messages While Promoting New McDonald’s Menu

Stormzy’s Controversial Partnership

Stormzy faced backlash after removing a post on social media concerning his new collaboration with McDonald's.

Details of the Collaboration

In January, it became known that the rapper teamed up with McDonald's for a launch in Britain and Ireland, allowing fans to purchase his favorite menu items along with a limited edition merchandise line.

Following the announcement and the subsequent launch on Wednesday (February 12), Stormzy was criticized due to the fast food chain’s perceived support of Israel.

The boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement advocated for a global boycott after reports emerged that McDonald’s franchises in Israel distributed thousands of free meals to Israeli forces following the Hamas attack on October 7.

Jeremy Corbyn’s “Peace and Justice” project was among those criticizing the partnership. On February 13, they published an open letter urging the rapper to “stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people during this time and heed the BDS committee’s call for a global boycott of McDonald’s, ending your collaboration with them.”

“Expensive @stormzy Help us remove the genocide from the menu … “

We urge Stormzy to stand with the Palestinian people and respect the @BdsmoVement call for a McDonald’s boycott, concluding his new partnership with them.

✍ Write to him: https://t.co/ix7hikd8fi pic.twitter.com/fhtgnrffi6

– Project of peace and justice (@corbyn_Project) February 13, 2025

Stormzy previously expressed support for Palestine, performing at a benefit concert in January 2024 to raise funds for aid. However, some fans noticed that since October 2023, the rapper had deleted a social media post that stated: “1. Free Palestine. 2. In the future, if there is a clear injustice in the world, no matter how large or small, 100 times out of 100 I will always be on the side of the oppressed.”

Online criticism ensued, with one user on X stating he “was sold for 9 nuggets”, while another deemed the move “a genuine shame”.

Stormzy removing your pro-Palestinian posts and then doing ads for McDonald’s – a choice.
Friend, you really don’t need this check.

– Michael Walsh (@thatbloodymikey) 12 February 2025

I can’t lie, him removing a post that speaks of a free Palestine makes collaborating with McDonald’s look much worse. You can argue the deal, but deleting the smallest piece of your past propaganda is just not right. Stormzy didn’t need to do this.

– S (@jesuissamii) 12 February 2025

Stormzy is a real shame. He said: “In the future, if there is clear injustice in the world, 100 times out of 100 I will always be on the side of the oppressed,” then deleted that post to profit from McDonald’s. There’s zero integrity.

– Umir (@amirf1) February 13, 2025

Bastard @stormzy, for a little money you don’t even need. You deleted this post to promote McDonald’s 🐀 #Freepalestine pic.twitter.com/qg5r34zolr

– Dean (@Deens786) 12 February 2025

Stormzy sold out for 9 nuggets, this is just betrayal. Free Palestine 🇵🇸pic.twitter.com/yta1srxafr

– Michael Morgan (@mikecmorgan) February 14, 2025

It remains unclear when the post was deleted, and it’s worth noting that removing old posts to focus on new projects is a common practice among artists. In fact, Stormzy has previously archived old posts on social media to make room for fresh content.

NME reached out to representatives for both Stormzy and McDonald’s for comments.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski previously denied that the company took a side in the conflict, deeming the boycotts as “disappointing and misguided,” and attributing them to “disinformation.”

Future Collaborations and Initiatives

In other news, in November, Stormzy announced his renewed partnership with Adidas for the next stage of the #MERKY Football Careers initiative to launch a new online platform aimed at helping Black youth find careers in football.

Originally established in 2022, the project was created to tackle the issue of racial disparity in the football industry and to provide opportunities for British youth of Black heritage to access employment in this field. Since its inception, the initiative has introduced 63 roles in the British football industry for young people from Black heritage, with 39 roles retained for extended periods.

Previously, the rapper confirmed that this scheme will “expand its reach and impact by tripling the number of available roles,” and extend its #MERKY publishing program with an award-winning literary festival announcement.

In 2021, Stormzy also announced support for another 30 students pursuing studies at Cambridge University via his scholarship scheme, which is part of the #MERKY Foundation in partnership with HSBC, offering annual scholarships of £20,000 to cover tuition and living costs. He also re-established this initiative last year, pledging to fund 36 more Black Cambridge students over the next three years.