Macklemore Battles Anti-Semitism Rumors After Dressing in 'Jewish' Stereotype Costume

By Nate Jones

05/19/2014 at 06:00 PM EDT

Macklemore in costume on May 16

Suzi Pratt/FilmMagic

Here's a lesson for all the rappers out there: If you're thinking of performing with a fake nose, make sure your prosthetic of choice is closer to Digital Underground than Macklemore.

The Seattle artist became the center of a social-media controversy on Monday when images and video began to circulate that showed him performing "Thrift Shop" in a prosthetic nose and fake beard.

Critics say the costume, which also included a black mop-top wig, made the rapper resemble an anti-Semitic caricature.

Macklemore donned the outfit during a surprise concert at Seattle's EMP Museum on Friday. After a weekend of complaints, he assured fans on Twitter Monday that any resemblance between his costume and stereotypes of Jews from Nazi propaganda was purely a coincidence.

It is unclear what image Macklemore was trying to express with the costume. The rapper has previously performed in a large fur coat, an Inuit snow suit and a drum major uniform.

Sample the collective Twitter outrage below. This is likely the first issue Seth Rogen and Michelle Malkin agree on:

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