Nicki Minaj cancels Saudi Arabia concert following backlash

Popular hip hop star, Nicki Minaj has canceled her scheduled performance in Saudi Arabia next week.

This is following backlash by social media users and call by US Human Rights Foundation for Minaj, One Direction’s Liam Payne, Steve Aoki, and others scheduled to play at the Jeddah World Fest on July 18 to pull out of the festival over the country’s record of human rights violations.

Nicki, in a statement on Tuesday, confirmed that she canceled the scheduled performance in Saudi Arabia next week in view of her support for the rights of women and the LGBT community.

The statement read: “After careful reflection, I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest. While I want nothing more than to bring my show to fans in Saudi Arabia, after better educating myself on the issues.

“I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression.