Nicki Minaj's concert in Manchester may have been called off, but she still found time to meet her fans.
The rapper's concert at the Co-op Live Arena on 25 May was cancelled last minute on after she was arrested in Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam for alleged 'possession of soft drugs'.
As reported by Sky News, a statement from Dutch police said: "We can confirm that we have arrested a 41-year-old American woman at Schiphol Airport because of possession of soft drugs."
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Minaj live-streamed her arrest on Instagram and also sent out a number of tweets about the situation.
In her tweets, she claimed police at the airport had 'found weed' and that her security team had said it belonged to them, not her.
After having spent '5 to 6 hours' in a cell, Minaj was later released and fined an undisclosed amount before flying to Manchester, with police later confirming that they had released the 'suspect and she can now move on', The Independent reports.
In the early hours of 26 May, the 'Gag City' rapper put out an apology to her fans on X, writing: "I’ll find a way to not only make up the date with the performance but I’m going to create an added bonus for everyone that had a [ticket] for this show. Promise.
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"I’ll STILL be performing at the 2nd Manchester show on the 30th. 5 days away.
"I’ll STILL be performing in Birmingham [tomorrow] ok. Barbz, Love you."
Revealing that she'd landed in Manchester at 1:17am, Minaj also told her fans she was staying in the Stock Exchange Hotel and invited her 'Barbz' to visit.
In another post at 1.33am she said: "To my #GagCityManchester Barbz, I’m going to be 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. Rlly [really] wanted to at least get to see you. But if you’re in bed plz STAY THERE. I’ll update you guys tmrw [tomorrow]. Love you."
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It didn't take long for fans to gather - within minutes, they'd turned out in the streets and gathered beneath her hotel balcony.
Minaj met her fans to face-to-face in front of the hotel's entrance.
Flanked by her security, the rapper headed down in a bright pink puffer jacket and beanie.
Her fans were extremely excited and at times talked over Minaj, who told them: "I honestly wanted to tell you that I love you and that I’m so sorry."
According to Manchester Evening News, her security could also be heard saying: ""Nicki said calm down. If you don't shut up, she's going inside."
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After she went back to her room, she wrote on Twitter: "I hear yall. How did yall get there so fast?! Finally a smile. Thank you. 2 mins. But not so loud. It’s almost 2 in the morning ppl tryna sleep."
Minaj is due to perform in Birmingham tonight (26 May), with another gig scheduled in London on Tuesday (28 May).
LADbible has previously contacted Minaj's reps and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee for further comment.
Topics: Nicki Minaj, Music, Celebrity
Ben Thompson