R&B crooner Usher (pictured above) is the most recent A-lister celeb who is hanging his head low after learning that he accepted “blood monies” from Libyan terrorist dictator Muammar Abu Minyar el-Qaddafi (pictured below middle).
Usher released a statement on Friday, saying that although he was paid for only appearing at Beyoncé ‘s 2009 St. Bart’s concert, he is “sincerely troubled” and will donate monies to human rights organizations:
“I will be donating all of my personal proceeds from that event to various human rights organizations,” he said in a statement released to the Associated Press.
The statement also said Usher made a contribution Friday to Amnesty International, which the organization confirmed. Now, as far as how much Usher donated, according to the group, the performer requested the donation amount be kept private.
The singer is not the only performer who has decided to take their Qaddafi earnings and regift it to some humanitarian charity.
Nelly Furtado came out of the closet last week and led the pack by publicly admitting to receiving a cool mill, after a 45-minute 2007 concert for the defiant dictator. After coming clean, Furtado pledged to hand over her monies to charity.
Song diva Beyoncé (pictured right) also decided to make a smart PR move by announcing that, although she performed for Qaddafi and his kin back in 2009, she had already donated all of her fees and commissions to Haiti.
Beyoncé’s publicist released the info about her client’s generous move just days after Furtado came clean:
“Once it became known that the third-party promoter was linked to the Qaddafi family, the decision was made to put that payment to a good cause.”
Mariah Carey (pictured left) is also jumping on the humanitarian bandwagon and has stated that she, too, will donate her million-dollar 2008 concert earnings from the Qaddafi clan.
The concerts and star-studded parties thrown by the Qaddafis were opulent and clearly showed off a lavish lifestyle that angered their countrymen. In a place where poverty and oppression reigns supreme, the Qaddafis seemed to be the only ones benefiting from their country’s oil riches.
Qaddafi’s record of brutality and terrorism during his 40-year reign is well documented.
As far as other artists giving back and washing their hands, such as 50 Cent or Lionel Richie, who performed for the Qaddafis in 2005 and 2006, respectively, no word yet.
Should artists be held accountable in situations like these? Does keeping the “blood money” they earned make them bad people?
