Why rapper Swizz Beatz is chasing a share of US$21 million prize pot in Saudi camel race
- Grammy winner Swizz Beatz has entered some of his camel team Saudi Bronx in the four-day, US$21 million AlUla Camel Cup in the Saudi oasis city of AlUla
- The city is undergoing a massive renovation, part of Saudi Arabia’s nearly US$1 trillion plan to become a major tourist destination in the next few years
Grammy-winning rapper and music producer Swizz Beatz (aka Kasseem Daoud Dean) has spent millions of dollars on camels since setting out in 2020 to become the first American to own a racing team in Saudi Arabia.
Now the New Yorker is hoping the bet will pay off as he sees the Saudi Bronx, as his herd is called, compete in one of the world’s richest camel races in pursuit of a US$21 million prize pot.
“It’s a very good investment if your teams are winning,” Beatz said.
Having worked with artists such as DMX, Jay-Z, Kanye West and his wife, Alicia Keys, Beatz has been engaging with a different crowd in recent years: desert Bedouin, who domesticated camels thousands of years ago.
The Bedouin have helped Beatz amass and train a team of 52 camels – many of which are named after his children and friends – to take part in the traditional sport.
Four of Beatz’s camels are competing this week in the four-day AlUla Camel Cup (April 24 to 27), one of the biggest in the region in terms of prize money.
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The kingdom has been investing in sport and entertainment as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans to remake his country into a magnet for global visitors.
It aims to lure 70 million international tourists a year by 2030 and plans to spend almost US$1 trillion over the next decade on the tourism industry.
AlUla, an ancient oasis city, is a key part of that transformation. The heritage site, with colossal tombs that date to the first century BC, is undergoing a US$15 billion revamp to make it a luxury travel destination with resorts, shops, and restaurants.
About a quarter of a million visitors travelled there last year, a third of them non-Saudis.
Speak to somebody that’s from there and ask them how they feel. There have been a lot of different changes
Beatz serves as an ambassador of Saudi culture and invests in the kingdom through Riyadh-based creative consultancy Good Intentions. The rapper and producer is also set to deejay at AlUla on Wheels, a roller skating rink.
He and his wife are known to spend a lot of time in Saudi Arabia. Keys, a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, has been criticised by human rights activists for performing in the country.
Beatz said the criticism stems from a lack of understanding about the realities.
“The easiest thing that I would tell them is to take a trip to the country before we have the conversation so you can be educated on what’s happening today,” said Beatz. “Speak to somebody that’s from there and ask them how they feel. There have been a lot of different changes.”
This year’s AlUla Camel Cup features one in particular: female riders are racing for the first time.
Beatz’s camels will race solo. Saudi Bronx has already won about 20 trophies in competitions in races in Gulf countries including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. His next big move may be to take his team home to the United States.
“I would want to master it a little bit more and learn and understand a few more things before expanding it to the other side,” he said. “I don’t think that it will be too long down the road.”
