Nicki Minaj livestreamed her own arrest in Amsterdam today (May 25), as she appeared to be detained for “carrying drugs” while travelling for a show in Manchester.
READ MORE: Nicki Minaj – ‘Pink Friday 2’ review: blockbuster sequel lives up to the hype
The rapper performed in the Dutch city on Thursday night, the opening show of a UK and European tour that is due to take her to Manchester’s Co-Op Live tonight, followed by Birmingham, London and Glasgow, and a run of shows around the continent in early June.
But in an Instagram Live post, Minaj filmed what appeared to be a group of Dutch police officers arresting her and asking her to enter a police vehicle so they could take her to the station.
Watch the footage below:
Nicki Minaj has been arrested in Amsterdam (of all places) for “carrying drugs.”
Minaj immediately went on Instagram Live and asked for a lawyer.
She initially declined to get into a police vehicle until she had a lawyer and repeatedly asked for the address of where she was… pic.twitter.com/3QwFockAnu
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) May 25, 2024
They tell her that they believe she is “carrying drugs”, which she immediately denies. Minaj repeatedly says that she is not going anywhere without the presence of a lawyer, to which one of the officers attempts to explain that she would “get a lawyer at the office”, and that they would go “as fast as possible”.
Minaj asks for the address of the station they are going to, which they do not give. The officers also explain that they will try to help her get to her show in Manchester tonight.
Co-Op Live did send out a message on X shortly after Minaj’s video went live, saying: “Please note that general admission and premium doors for tonight’s @NickiMinaj show will now open at 19:00”.
Please note that general admission and premium doors for tonight’s @NickiMinaj show will now open at 19:00.
— Co-op Live (@TheCoopLive) May 25, 2024
NME has contacted Minaj’s representatives and the venue for clarification on the current status of the musician and tonight’s performance.
Earlier in the day, Minaj had posted a series of tweets which appear to show her bags being searched thoroughly at the airport.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) May 25, 2024
“They’ve been trying everything they possibly can to TRY to stop this tour,” she wrote in one post.
“They took my luggage & when I asked where it is they said it’s on the plane. It couldn’t have been, I just pulled up,” read another.
Minaj went on to say she was worried that they might “plant” something in one of her bags.
“They’re being paid big money to try to sabotage my tour b/c soooooo many ppl are mad that it’s this successful & they can’t eat off me,” she said. “They got caught stealing money from my travel/jets. Got fired. Got mad. Etc.”
They’re being paid big money to try to sabotage my tour b/c soooooo many ppl are mad that it’s this successful & they can’t eat off me. They got caught stealing money from my travel/jets. Got fired. Got mad. Etc.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) May 25, 2024
I’m
still in my car. They took my luggage w/o consent. Lied & said it was on the jet.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) May 25, 2024
This is Amsterdam btw, where weed is legal.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) May 25, 2024
now they said they found weed & that another group of ppl have to come here to weigh the pre-rolls. Keep in mind they took my bags without consent. My security has already advised them those pre-rolls belong to him. Oh yea & the pilot wants me to take my ig post down.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) May 25, 2024
In a later tweet, she said: “Now they said they found weed & that another group of ppl have to come here to weigh the pre-rolls. Keep in mind they took my bags without consent. My security has already advised them those pre-rolls belong to him. Oh yea & the pilot wants me to take my ig post down.”
She also said that her filming the officers has made them “mad” and that they were not prepared for her being “ready” for them.
Minaj’s current tour comes in celebration of her long-awaited ‘Pink Friday 2’ album, which arrived in December and received a four-star review from NME‘s Nick Levine upon its release.
Levine wrote: “‘Pink Friday 2’ feels like a consolidation and refinement of everything Minaj can do – including dropping pop culture references that no other artist would think of. “Ducking ’em like Björk?” That’s surely a wink to the Icelandic musician’s infamous skirmish with a photographer. Thirteen years after ‘Pink Friday’, Nicki Minaj hasn’t lost her ability to catch us by surprise.”
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