Cardi B calls America ‘ghetto’ while praising Saudi Arabia as clean, luxurious

Rapper Cardi B has praised life in Saudi Arabia, saying it is much “cleaner”, albeit more authoritarian, in the Middle Eastern country.

Cardi B was the latest of many famous American artists to entertain audiences abroad in Saudi Arabia, a choice many celebrities were criticized for earlier this year.

“I am in Saudi Arabia and for now let me tell you my experience. It is very strict here. They will put you in prison,” she said during her stay in the country. “They don’t play. Yeah, you’ll go to jail. Yeah, yeah, mess around and you’ll find out. However, it’s very easy to follow the rules here. Like, the rules are very simple.”

Cardi B has repeatedly emphasized that Saudi Arabia is shiny and clean. She noted that at first she was hesitant to visit the country because of the “restrictions on women and gays and everything else” but said the country has opened up more since then.

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Cardi B praised Saudi Arabia for its cleanliness and lack of homeless people, comparing it to what she called “ghetto America.” (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Even though Saudi Arabia has made some reforms, such as allowing women to drive starting in 2018, it still maintains certain rules, such as a ban on openly wearing crucifixes. The Saudi government also continues to face international criticism following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

The rapper said she views America as a nation in decline.

“I’m starting to dislike America. America is making me pay taxes. The vice president is talking about me on Twitter. I don’t really feel appreciated in America. You need to convince me to come back,” she said. “Why would I? Look at this country, look at how they treat me.”

“It’s a ghetto out there,” she says of America.

When the time of the stream hit 11:11 p.m., she looked like she was about to make the sign of the cross and make a wish, before stopping. “I don’t even want to do the… you know what I’m saying? It’s illegal here, honey. You can only believe in Allah here.”

“I can’t wear a cross or nothing,” she said of the country. “They don’t play here. But you know what I’m saying? It’s like you just have to have respect. That’s the problem. Americans don’t respect other people’s business.”

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Big celebrities performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, sparking huge controversy earlier this year. This prestigious event, supported by a Saudi government body, has sowed discord in the stand-up community, as comics who fiercely defend freedom of expression in the West are accused of hypocrisy. (Frieze Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images)

She went on to say that America has declined in both good manners and cleanliness, especially when it comes to allowing homeless people into public spaces.

“America just has no civility. We are ghettos. We are just dusty. I’m sorry to say that,” she said. “And I’m American myself, honey, but damn. And this country is so clean. I haven’t even seen a bum. I don’t think there are any bums here.”

Fox News Digital has contacted Cardi B’s representatives for comment.

She later posted a video titled “Coming back to America from Saudi Arabia and realizing I’m coming home,” looking distressed as there was sound of babies crying loudly and a woman speaking in a foreign language.

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Many U.S. cities have faced a homeless crisis that has worsened after the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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