That’s right, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) penned open letters to Janet Jackson, 50 Cent, Tyga, Chris Brown and Future regarding their performances at Jeddah World Fest, Saudi Arabia. And they didn’t listen.
In a rather sudden last-minute announcement, the festival added these performers to the concert setlist. The concert itself is funded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is renowned worldwide as one of the world’s worst human rights violators.
Last week, festival headliner Nicki Minaj pulled out of the concert, citing the country’s treatment of women and the LGBTQ+ community as a reason for her to not perform, and as a way for her to stand in solidarity with her belief in the freedom of expression.
The Crown Prince in response has spent millions to recruit artists such as Janet Jackson and 50 Cent. These artists are confirmed to have seven-figure booking payments for the festival.
Janet Jackson at Jeddah World Fest 2019
In response to the sudden influx of artists, who joined Liam Payne, (who remained apart of the lineup), HRF wrote open letters, urging the artists to reconsider.
You can read the letters to the artists by clicking on their names here: Janet Jackson, 50 Cent, Tyga, Chris Brown, and Future.
In the letters, Thor Halvorssen, president of the Human Rights Foundation, names multiple instances of human rights violations including police brutality and mistreatment of women, and states that if the artist performs at Jeddah World Fest, they are condoning these acts and accepting money from a man who is essentially a tyrant.
In a recent statement Halvorssen said:
“It’s clear that, after losing Nicki Minaj on the basis of the Saudi regime’s atrocious human rights record and their treatment of women and the gay community, the Crown Prince has chosen to spend whatever it takes to give the appearance that things are normal and that this is just another concert. Except it isn’t.”
Many fans placed pressure on the artists to pull out of the festival, putting into question the morals of the singers, yet they remained to perform.
HRF has also compiled a list of hypocrisies that the artists would be making if they perform at the festival, including Janet Jacksons Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Vanguard Award, and her speeches against discrimination against women.
You can read the scathing compilation here.
Halvorssen took to Twitter to praise Nicki Minaj for leaving the concert, while the others stayed.
https://twitter.com/ThorHalvorssen/status/1151703003721818112?s=20
