Rapper Nicki Minaj apologized to her fans outside her Manchester hotel early Sunday morning for postponing a UK show after being detained by Dutch authorities on suspicion of carrying drugs. “I love you and I’m so sorry this happened tonight,” Minaj said in a video posted on social media.
Earlier, Minaj had revealed her Manchester hotel’s name in a social media post, inviting fans to see her. “I’m going on the balcony so if you’re outside I’ll be able to see you & I may come downstairs. I’ll be out there for about an hour. Really wanted to at least get to see you,” she said.
Minaj was released from police custody on Saturday evening, but the Manchester concert scheduled for the same night could not proceed.
In a statement from Live Nation and Co-op Live, organizers expressed deep disappointment over the inconvenience caused. “Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible,” the statement read.
In a video on Minaj’s Instagram Live, later shared online, she is seen speaking with police at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, holding her camera phone.
The clip shows Minaj mentioning “pre-rolls they found” and being asked to get into a police van. When she asks why, an official tells her she is under arrest for “carrying drugs.” Minaj denies this, repeatedly asking for the address of the police station and requesting a lawyer.
Amsterdam authorities confirmed they arrested a 41-year-old American woman, identified as Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, for “soft drugs” at Schiphol Airport. She was later released with a fine.
Minaj is currently on her Pink Friday 2 World Tour, supporting her latest album released last year.
She performed in Amsterdam on Thursday night and is scheduled to perform in Birmingham, UK, on Sunday night.
Another concert in Manchester is scheduled for Thursday, May 30.
