There’s a reason why the announcement about #NickiMinaj performing in #SaudiArabia at #Jeddah World Fest later this month is a BIG DEAL.
For starters, the ultraconservative kingdom previously had decades of restrictions on entertainment. To put things into perspective, there were no concerts in a place where the Saudi morality police would raid establishments that played loud music, according to @abcnews.
But people aren’t just shook because it’s Nicki, it’s more that her style and sex-positive lyrics are things that would have never been allowed in the country not too long ago.
While some fans on social media praised the government for taking a step in a more progressive direction by bringing Nicki to Saudi Arabia, others criticized the government for allowing her to perform but requiring Saudi women who attend the concert to wear the modest full-length robe known as the abaya. In addition to rocking the abaya, most Saudi women veil their hair and faces.
“She’s going to go and shake her a** and all her songs are indecent and about sex and shaking a** and then you tell me to wear the abaya,” one Saudi woman said in a rant accusing the Saudi government of hypocrisy on Twitter. “What the hell?”
The concert, which in line with Saudi laws, is alcohol and drug-free and open to people 16 and older. It will take place at the King Abdullah Sports Stadium in the Red Sea city.
Saudi organizers said the concert will be broadcast globally and covered by MTV. Other performers who will join Nicki include Liam Payne and DJ Steve Aoki.
The kingdom is also promising quick electronic visas for international visitors who want to attend the big show.
Over the past several months, the kingdom has seen performances by Mariah Carey, Enrique Iglesias, the Black Eyed Peas, and Sean Paul. That’s despite the widespread international backlash the country has faced since October over the killing of Saudi critic and writer Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents close to the crown prince in the kingdom’s consulate in Turkey.
What are your thoughts, Roommates? Let us know!
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