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.