He's no stranger to the Middle East but a recent visit to the holy city of Islam proved an emotional experience for DJ Khaled, who performed Umrah with boxer Mike Tyson.
"The second I walked in Makkah, tears came down my eyes... tears of joy," the American rapper and record producer posted, along with a video of himself performing Tawaf around the Kaaba. In one shot, he can be seen overcome by emotion.
"My whole life I wanted to go to Makkah to pray and give my gratitude to Allah. I prayed for the world for more love, more life, more peace, more joy, more happiness, more health and protection for all of us. God is the greatest!"
Khaled, whose parents are Palestinian immigrants to the US, was one of the headliners at MDLBEAST's Soundstorm festival in Riyadh. Top performers at the three-day festival, now in its third year, included Bruno Mars, Post Malone, Nigerian Afro-pop star Wizkid and leading DJs including David Guetta, Marshmello, DJ Snake, Carl Cox and Solomun.
Khaled performed to more than 150,000 revellers, running through hits from across his 13 albums — including the latest Grammy Award-nominated God Did.
“I flew 16 hours to be here with my people,” he said from the stage. “So tonight will not go down, but up, in history.”
The producer and occasional motivational speaker has been documenting his lavish trip to the kingdom to his more than 32 million followers on Instagram. His visit has included private jet flights, yacht parties on the Red Sea and trips to the historical city of AlUla, known for its striking rock formations as well as the Unesco World Heritage Site of Hegra.
Besides his Soundstorm appearance, Khaled was also spotted at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, which concluded on Saturday. The 10-day festival featured a host of global celebrities including Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Egyptian actress and singer Yousra, British director Guy Ritchie, actress Priyanka Chopra, Lebanese director Nadine Labaki and US actress Sharon Stone, among others.
Khaled was seen at the event with supermodel Naomi Campbell and Tyson, who was also a guest at the festival.
Scroll through the gallery for more pictures of stars at the Red Sea International Film Festival
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Award-winning director Spike Lee attends the 2022 Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah. All photos: Getty Images -
365 Days actor Michele Morrone -
Priyanka Chopra -
Indian star Akshay Kumar -
Shah Rukh Khan -
Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale -
Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman -
Egyptian actress Yousra -
English filmmaker Guy Ritchie and wife Jacqui Ainsley -
Michelle Rodriguez -
Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor -
Saudi actress Fay Fouad -
Lebanese-American actress Ruba Zaarour and actor Shadi Haddad -
Lebanese director Nadine Labaki -
Sharon Stone -
British director Gurinder Chadha -
Lebanese actress Betty Taoutel -
Egyptian actress Salma Abu-Deif -
US film director Oliver Stone and wife Jung Sun-jung -
Italian-French singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy -
Lebanese-Australian model Jessica Kahawaty -
Australian model Elle Macpherson -
British actress Jodie Turner-Smith -
Italian film director Luca Guadagnino -
Lebanese actress Nadine Nassib Njeim -
Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio -
American dancer Julianne Hough
