NICKI MINAJ PULLS OUT OF SAUDI ARABIA CONCERT OVER BACKLASH

Rapper Nicki Minaj in a statement on Tuesday confirmed that she will not be performing in Saudi Arabia next week. According to Nicki

, this is due to her support for the rights of women and the LGBT community.

Nicki’s decision is coming after the US Human Rights Foundation called for Minaj,

One Direction’s Liam Payne, Steve Aoki and others who were meant 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.

“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,” Nicki Minaj said in a statement to the Associated Press.