Dicaprio helps create environmental alliance

Hip-hop star Minaj is scheduled to perform in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia says hip-hop star Nicki Minaj will perform in the ultraconservative kingdom as it sheds decades of restrictions on entertainment.

The rapper is known for her outlandish, provocative style and hits like “Anaconda,” where she raps about her “big fat” backside. Her lyrics are often laced with profanities, and her skin-baring music videos often include twerking.

Saudi organizers say she will be the headline act at the Jeddah World Fest on July 18. The concert, which in line with Saudi laws is alcohol- and drugfree, is open to people 16 and older and will take place at the King Abdullah Sports Stadium.

Reactions on social media ranged from shock and joy to criticism and disappointment. In a profanity-laced video posted on Twitter, a Saudi woman wearing a loose headscarf accuses the government of hypocrisy for inviting Minaj to perform but requiring women who attend the concert to wear the full-length robe known as the abaya. Most Saudi women also veil their hair and faces.

Leonardo Dicaprio is joining with billionaire investors and philanthropists Laurene Powell Jobs and Brian Sheth to create a new nonprofit environmental powerhouse charged with tackling climate change and the loss of biodiversity.

The new organization, Earth Alliance, “will work globally to protect ecosystems and wildlife, ensure climate justice, support renewable energy and secure indigenous rights to the benefit of all life on Earth,” according to a statement.

Earth Alliance said Tuesday it will provide grants and educational opportunities and fund campaigns and films, as well as work with grassroots organizations and individuals in places most affected by biodiversity loss and climate change.

In the statement, Dicaprio called Earth Alliance a “new larger, nimble platform that shares resources and expertise while identifying the best programs to drive real change around the planet.”