Nicki Minaj apologises for postponed Manchester show

Nicki Minaj has apologised to fans after postponing a concert in Manchester, following her arrest in The Netherlands.

The rapper (41) was due to play the city’s Co-op Live arena on Saturday, but had to cancel at the last minute after she was held on suspicion of exporting drugs.

She was fined €350 (about N$7 000) by the Dutch police and allowed to continue her journey.

Announcing that she would now play the Manchester venue next Monday, she posted on social media: “I apologise for all the inconvenience this has caused. I really hope you can make the 3 June show. It’ll be really special.”

She said Ticketmaster will be in contact with fans who were at Saturday’s cancelled show, which she described as a “class act”.

Minaj said she spent five to six hours in custody, before being allowed to fly from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

Dutch prosecutors told local media she was carrying 30 to 100 grams of cannabis, but Minaj said “the pre-rolls” belonged to her security guard.

It is technically against the law to possess, sell or produce drugs in The Netherlands.

But the country operates a policy of tolerance towards the sale or possession of small amounts of some drugs.

“I’ll have the lawyers and God take it from here though,” the ‘Super Bass’ singer posted on X on Sunday.

“They sure did know exactly how to hurt me today, but this too shall pass.”

About 20 000 fans had been in the Co-op arena waiting for Minaj’s show to start on Saturday, before promoter Live Nation announced that the gig would be postponed.

Many of her fans, known as ‘the Barbz’, had been left upset after waiting for hours and having travelled from other parts of the country.

On Sunday night, a defiant Minaj took her Pink Friday 2 world tour to Birmingham.

“The most important thing was to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here tonight,” she told fans at Resorts World Arena. – BBC Entertainment