Nicki Minaj apologizes to fans for postponed Manchester show

Nicki Minaj has apologized to fans after postponing a concert in Manchester following her arrest in the Netherlands.

The 41-year-old rapper was due to play at the city’s Co-op Live arena on Saturday but had to cancel at the last minute after being arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking.

She was fined €350 (£300; $380) by the Dutch police and allowed to continue her journey.

Announcing she will now play at the Manchester venue next Monday, she posted on social media: ‘I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. I really hope you can make the June 3 show. It will be really special.”

She added that Ticketmaster would be contacting fans who attended Saturday’s canceled show, which she described as a “class act”.

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

Dutch prosecutors told local media she was carrying between 30 and 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 manufacture 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 get lawyers and God take her out of here,” the Super Bass singer posted on X on Sunday.

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

Around 20,000 fans were in the Co-op arena waiting for her show to start on Saturday before promoter Live Nation announced at around 9.40pm BST that the concert would be postponed.

Many of her fans, known as Barbz, were left upset after waiting for hours and traveling 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.