DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia says today that US hip-hop star Nicki Minaj will perform in the ultraconservative kingdom as it sheds decades of restrictions on entertainment.
The female rapper is known for her outlandish, provocative style and hits like “Anaconda,” where she raps about her “big fat” backside. Her lyrics are often laced with profanities and her skin-baring music videos often include twerking. Christian groups criticized her 2012 Grammy Awards performance, which included dancing priests and an exorcism.
Saudi organizers announce she will be the headline act at the Jeddah World Fest on July 18. The concert, which in line with Saudi laws is alcohol and drug-free, is open to people 16 and older and will take place at the King Abdullah Sports Stadium in the Red Sea city.
Reactions on social media range from shock and joy to criticism and disappointment. In a profanity-laced video posted on Twitter and viewed more than 37,000 times, a Saudi woman wearing a loose headscarf accuses the Saudi government of hypocrisy for inviting Minaj to perform but requiring women who attend the concert to wear the modest full-length robe known as the abaya. Most Saudi women also veil their hair and faces.
In this Sunday, November 4, 2018 file photo, Nicki Minaj performs on stage during the MTV EMA’s 2018 at Bilbao Exhibition Center in Bilbao, Spain. (Stuart C. Wilson/Pool via AP, File)
Such concerts are a stark change from when Saudi morality police would raid establishments that played loud music.
— AP
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