Saudi Arabia's concert scene has been blasting in recent months as well-known names in the music industry take the stage to perform to sold-out crowds. But sometimes, artists tend to forget that the kingdom has its own culture, just like any country in the world, that must be respected. Lil Wayne seems to be the latest one.
Lil Wayne, Tyga, and Future took the stage at the Diriyah Music Festival on Saturday, Nov. 30, as part of the country's Ad Diriyah season. But it didn't go as smooth as expected as Lil Wayne got into a bit of a hiccup following his performance.
The 37-year-old's tweets raised eyebrows as he went from saying "see you soon Riyadh!!" to "never going to Riyadh again" in a matter of hours. The U.S. rapper has since deleted the latter tweet, which many are speculating came about after he, his manager, or both ran into drug-related troubles post-concert.
Social media users shared photos and videos of Lil Wayne's performance, and it seemed to be a trouble-free and lit one. But the rapper's angry tweet indicated otherwise and the deletion of that tweet made it all the more suspicious. The fact that the rapper tweeted a weed-related post on the micro-blogging platform days after the incident shook things even more.
Neither Saudi Arabia nor Weezy have clarified what caused the latter to go on a rant on Twitter. Instead, rumors and speculations took over, with many claiming he was sent back home for bringing marijuana to the country.
Drugs including cannabis are illegal in the kingdom; users face prison sentences and lashes while dealers often receive the death penalty.
In the aftermath of Lil Wayne's rant, many Saudis took a moment to remind the rapper that he overstepped his boundaries. Twitter users were furious that the rapper painted Saudi Arabia in a bad light over an issue that is non-debatable in the kingdom.
Some began asking the rapper if he - or his managers - researched the laws of the country prior to flying in.
"I'm sure our guys informed you before"
"Before accepting that invitation, would you please read about the country and its regulations first?"
"Drugs are not allowed here"
Others are demanding answers
If Lil Wayne landed in trouble over "drugs," it wouldn't be the first time something like this happens
Two years ago, it was the performance of a dance that Saudi Arabia associates with drugs that landed one local singer in trouble.
In 2017, a Saudi singer was arrested for "dabbing," something the kingdom has been concerned about for a while. Saudi Arabia's National Committee for Combating Drugs, an initiative by the government to address drug addiction in the kingdom, sees the move as suggesting sniffing drugs.
The dab - a simple dance in which a person drops their head into the bent crook of a slanted arm, while raising the opposite arm in a parallel direction but out straight - was first seen in Atlanta rapper Skippa da Flippa's 2014 video "How Fast Can You Count It," and later went on to become an international craze.