The Daily Star - Arts & Culture - 50 Cent joins 'Gadhafi performance regret club'

50 Cent joins 'Gadhafi performance regret club'


Friday, March 11, 2011

 

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LONDON: Rapper 50 Cent has joined what one entertainment website called the “Gadhafi performance regret club,” making a donation to charity after news emerged that he performed for the clan of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

“In light of the ongoing events in Libya, 50 Cent will be making a donation to UNICEF, which is providing vital relief supplies to meet the needs of women and children at risk during this crisis,” a spokesman for the artist told E! News.

50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, performed at a private event during the 2005 Venice Film Festival that was later linked to the Gadhafi clan.

He joins a growing list of pop stars who performed for members of Gadhafi’s family at exclusive parties around the world.

Beyonce, Nelly Furtado, Mariah Carey and Usher have all issued statements saying they would donate or had already given money to charities after they appeared for the Gadhafi clan in recent years. Media reports said that some artists were paid by Gadhafi’s family merely to attend the parties.

On the Twitter social networking website, Furtado said recently that she was paid $1 million for a 45 minute set before the Gadhafi clan in Italy in 2007 She said she was donating the money, but did not announce a charity.

Later that week, a representative for Beyonce said the superstar had already donated her fee, which was not disclosed, to Haiti earthquake relief efforts after she learned her 2009 New Year’s Eve performance on St. Bart’s was connected to the Gadhafis.

Carey, who performed in St. Bart’s in 2008, said she wasn’t aware of the Gadhafi link and was “embarrassed,” but took full responsibility. Her representative said proceeds from a song on her upcoming album would be donated to human rights groups.

Usher, who was paid to appear at the Beyonce event, announced a donation to Amnesty International last week, saying he was “sincerely troubled” to learn about the connection. – Reuters, AP

via dailystar.com.lb