Cardi B goes viral in Saudi Arabia as she brims with praise for Kingdom

US rapper Cardi B has gone viral in Saudi Arabia, where the artist performed in the early hours of Sunday morning and unleashed a torrent of praise for the kingdom in a series of social media videos.

"Everything is brand new, honey. This country looks like it was just opened up yesterday," the artist said in a video posted on Instagram that has been widely shared online. 

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Cardi B was one of the headline performers at Riyadh's MDLBEAST Soundstorm festival, where she welcomed the thousands in attendance with the traditional Muslim greeting "Salam alaikum" before later stating that "everything is mashallah" in the wealthy Gulf state.

The Arabic word, meaning "God has willed it", is a common term of praise in Muslim countries.

Known for her explicit language, the rapper adopted a more restrained tone during her set, avoiding her most graphic expressions. 

She wore a flowing outfit that covered her from neck to toe, a departure from her usual, often revealing, stage attire.

In the run-up to the performance, the artist posted videos at Riyadh's luxury malls and donned a hijab, while praising the shopping, ranting against paying American taxes and raving over the levels of opulence in the Saudi capital. 

"The shopping is great, Mashallah!" she added, while gushing over the fame she enjoyed in the kingdom. 

"I'm somebody over here," she said.

Cardi B's appearance in Saudi Arabia also comes just months after she was cleared of an assault charge in a $24 million civil trial in which the star was accused of slashing a woman's face with her fingernails.

The rapper — whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar — was just the latest American to make waves in the Gulf region in recent days. 

Last week, right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson announced he would be buying property in neighbouring Qatar as he rebuffed accusations he had taken money from the Gulf state.

Celebrities, athletes and social media influencers have increasingly been drawn to perform, compete and make appearances in the Gulf states in recent years.

Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion and Eminem are among the most high-profile names to have performed in Saudi Arabia recently.