Rapper pH-1 Under Fire After Sharing Photos Featuring Pro-Palestine Boycotted Brand

This isn’t the first time he’s been under fire.

Rapper pH-1 is under fire after a recent post.

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pH-1

Recently, pH-1 updated his Instagram Stories from Japan. He was with friends, including producer Spray and Dongsu Yang.

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Netizens noticed that the men were holding Starbucks cups. The posts are now deleted but have circulated as netizens have expressed their disappointment as Starbucks is globally boycotted. Many felt he should know better.

Since October, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has reportedly surpassed 33,207 due to Israeli attacks. The surviving Palestinians in Gaza are struggling to survive as over 75,993 are injured, starving, displaced, and lost homes, family, and friends.

Around 1 in every 25 Palestinians in Gaza are now injured or dead, Islamic Relief says as Israel’s bombardment continues unabated.

— ReliefWeb

More people worldwide are becoming aware of this humanitarian crisis and hoping to do their part in making a difference. So, BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) is an entity that has helped identify brands that should be targeted in boycotts. The Palestinian BDS National Committee shared a list of brands to boycott, placing them in categories. Popular fast-food chains, such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, are organic targets, although the latter was not on BDS’s boycott list.

The BDS movement did not initiate these grassroots boycott campaigns but is in support of them due to these brands openly supporting Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.

— BDS on organic boycott targets

bds boycott

In October 2023, the worker-led union of Starbucks, representing at least 9,000 employees, shared a post via X (formerly Twitter). In the statement, Starbucks Workers United stood in solidarity with Palestine.

As of June 2023, over 8,000 workers at over 360 Starbucks stores in at least 40 states in the United States have voted to unionize, primarily with Workers United. As of March 2023 none have yet enacted a collective bargaining agreement.

— Wikipedia

Shortly after, Starbucks released its own statements, which denounced the union. Starbucks did not want to be associated with the union’s stance.

Starbucks wanted to stop the union from using its name and logo, saying the company had no official stance on the war and the union’s post might confuse customers. But many boycotters, like Blake, thought Starbucks should offer more support to the people of Gaza.

— AP News

Starbucks statement
| Starbucks
Starbucks
| Starbucks

Starbucks then sued its employees on October 18 for trademark infringement. The company claimed the social media post angered its customers and had the potential to damage the company’s reputation. Starbucks’ actions only disappointed customers.

Starbucks
| Starbucks
Starbucks
| Starbucks

Since then, Starbucks has been boycotted worldwide as customers thought it was unethical of Starbucks to sue its employees for their stance on the humanitarian issue. Consequently, Starbucks lost $12 billion USD in market value, with some locations even closing and filing bankruptcy in many countries.

Recently, Workers United and Starbucks began discussions to build “a productive relationship in the best interests of Starbucks partners.” Still, many are continuing to boycott the coffee chain.

We have agreed with Workers United that we will begin discussions on a foundational framework designed to achieve collective bargaining agreements, including a fair process for organizing, and the resolution of some outstanding litigation.

— Starbucks

So, fans were disappointed to see pH-1 drinking Starbucks during the ongoing boycott. Many flooded his most recent Instagram post.

Some are trying to educate pH-1 on the matter. Yet, most feel he already knew and didn’t care. So, they’re expressing their frustrations.

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Netizens pointed out pH-1’s past problematic behavior. Previously, he defended working with his friend, rapper Owen Ovadoz, who has been in countless controversies that involve racism, sexual comments, and more.

Read more below.

Rapper ph-1 Under Fire For Not “Canceling” His Controversial Friend, Owen Ovadoz

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