As Libya is gripped by a massive civil uprising, with Dictator Muammar Gaddafi refusing to relinquish his grip on power in the face of mass protests, an interesting connection between US music stars and the North African nation has been revealed. Usher, Nelly Furtado, Beyoncé and Mariah Carey have all been exposed for performing gigs for the Dictator’s son, who is believed to have funnelled billions of dollars out of the impoverished but oil rich nation.
It all involves an elaborate New Year’s Party in December 2009 hosted by the Dictator’s son on the Caribbean Island of St Barts for which they were all paid megabucks. Beyoncé reportedly pocketed a cool $US2 million for her gig. While Furtado saw the writing on the wall and donated her fee to charity, public outcry has led to Carey, Beyoncé and Usher donating their sacks of cash to charities such as Amnesty International.
Although the stars claim they had no idea who was behind the party, their words appear hollow as hip hop impresario Russell Simmons had tweeted from the event and he appeared to know who was behind it. It appears that the Gaddafi family threw their net wide when it came to putting on entertainment, as Timbaland, Lionel Richie, Enrique Iglesias and 50 Cent have all allegedly played for the family, while celebrities including Jay-Z, Jon Bon Jovi and Lindsay Lohan apparently all availed themselves of the family’s hospitality.
