Nicki Minaj’s Dutch concert nixed in drugs arrest aftermath

Nicki Minaj performs onstage during iHeartRadio Power 96.1’s Jingle Ball 2023 at State Farm Arena on Dec. 14, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. Image: Derek White/ Getty Images via AFP

A second Dutch concert by US rapper Nicki Minaj scheduled in Amsterdam this weekend has been canceled after her arrest on suspicion of possessing soft drugs, local concert promotors announced Thursday, May 30.

Minaj was detained at Schiphol airport on Saturday as she was about to fly to Manchester in a private jet for the next leg of her Pink Friday 2 World Tour.

She was detained for several hours in an airport cell and eventually let go after paying a fine.

“Due to the events of last week, the Nicki Minaj show on Sunday, 2nd June at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam will no longer be taking place,” concert promotors MOJO said.

“Tickets will be refunded at the point of sale,” it added on its website, but did not give further details.

Minaj on Saturday posted on social media platform X that authorities “said they found weed” in her luggage shortly before takeoff.

The rap artist said the “pre-rolls” belonged to her security guard and that her bags had been searched “without consent.”

The delay saw Minaj miss a performance in Manchester, but she said she would return for a second concert in the city on May 30, her next performance.

Minaj suggested in a series of social media posts that the arrest in Amsterdam was “part of a plot to sabotage her tour.”

A common misconception outside the Netherlands is that cannabis is legal in the country, home to world-famous coffee shops selling the drug that are a draw for many tourists.

The consumption of cannabis is technically illegal, but police choose not to enforce the law for small quantities as part of a “tolerance” policy in place since the 1970s.

Transporting any drugs to another country is illegal.

Known for her neon costumes and wigs, Minaj—whose hits include “Starships,” “Bang Bang” and “Anaconda”—is considered one of rap’s most influential female artists.

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