Kanye West said he “misses” Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, who the artist described as “a God on Earth”, in a series of posts on X.
“I miss Saudi Arabia. MBS is the greatest man I’ve ever met. Nobody finna play with that man. This is my hero, a God on earth [sic],” West posted on Saturday, using an acronym for Mohammed bin Salman.
The post was accompanied by a grainy photo of Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader.
He followed up minutes later with another image of the crown prince, writing: “Thank you to my brother Swizz for connecting me with your close friend the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.”
It suggests that he was introduced to the crown prince by Swizz Beatz, an acclaimed music producer who has worked closely with West.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on
Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Swizz Beatz has a long-standing connection with Saudi Arabia, having founded a creative agency in the kingdom, co-launched a roller skating rink in the desert city of al-Ula and spent millions of dollars buying 48 racing camels in the kingdom.
West’s comments came amid a collection of antisemitic and inflammatory remarks on X, spanning three days.
The posts included: “I’m a Nazi”, “I love Hitler”, “Hitler was soooo fresh” and “You can get money with Jewish people but they always gonna steal”.
He also said: “Any Jewish person that does business with me needs to know I don’t like or trust any Jewish person amd [sic] this is completely sober with no Hennesy.”
Saudi Arabia visit
West first revealed that he’d met Mohammed bin Salman during rambling remarks posted live on social media in a room filled with supporters in December 2023.
“That’s why I just met with MBS, n*****, head of Saudi. We don’t have to bow to this shit,” he said amid an expletive-laden tirade against Jewish people.
Those comments came after West had spent three months in Saudi Arabia working on Vultures 1, an album released with singer Ty Dolla Sign.
West was reportedly staying in the Banyan Tree resort in al-Ula and shared pictures of his studio set-up in the Saudi desert.
In October 2023, West was among several high-profile celebrities who attended a boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh.
Following his trip to Saudi Arabia, the multi-award-winning musician revealed that he wanted to build a 405-sqkm city in the Middle East called Droam.
Last month, he revealed further plans for the city on Instagram, stating that the core design principles include “no stairs”, “no glass” and “endless pathways (no beginning, no end)”.
