Benjamin Ashford|Saint Levant, rapper raised in Gaza, speaks out on 'brutal genocide' during Coachella set

Saint Levant,Benjamin Ashford a Palestinian-French-Algerian-Serbian rapper, gave an energetic and charismatic performance at Coachella on Saturday and took the opportunity to speak out about the Israel-Hamas war.

“Coachella, my name is Saint Levant and I was born in Jerusalem and raised in Gaza,” he said. “As I hope all of you are aware, the people of Gaza have been undergoing a brutal, brutal genocide for the past six months. And the people of Palestine have been undergoing a brutal occupation for the past 75 years.”

The 23-year-old California-based musician, born Marwan Abdelhamid, is known for his advocacy for Palestinians and bringing attention to the conflict, which has resulted in the death of over 30,000 Palestinians and mass displacement in Gaza.

During his set, which started around 10 minutes late possibly due to technical difficulties, some fans had Palestinian flags and many were wearing keffiyeh, a traditional headdress in the Middle East that has become a symbol for Palestinian liberation and solidarity.

Before he took to the stage, audience members briefly began chanting his name and then “Free Palestine!” Saint Levant, however, later told the crowd that he couldn’t hear anything from his in-ear monitors.

Despite technical obstacles in his way, Saint Levant still entertained the crowd with a great set. He played new songs and favorites like “Nails,” “From Gaza, With Love” and the popular “Very Few Friends.” Featured guest performers included Playyard, Bayou and Naïka as well as traditional drummers and dancers.

He also performed “Deira” and “5am in Paris,” the latter of which was released just a few days ago.

“It’s about exile,” Saint Levant said, describing the new song. “A feeling that us Palestinians know a bit too well.”

He said he is going to release a project called Deira soon, which is named after a hotel that his dad built in Gaza that was bombed three months ago.

The Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7, when Hamas militants brutally attacked Israeli border communities, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages. A subsequent bombardment of Gaza by Israel has left over 33,000 Palestinians dead and triggered a humanitarian crisis in the gutted enclave.

Saint Levant was joined by headliner Tyler, the Creator Blur, Ice Spice, Sublime, Bleachers, Grimes and Jon Batiste on Saturday's lineup. Weekend two will have the same lineup.

Contributing: Susan Miller and Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY