Nicki Minaj has been released after being arrested in Amsterdam on Saturday, according to multiple media reports. Footage from Minaj’s Instagram Live showed her interaction with police, which was then recorded and posted to X by multiple fan accounts.
According to multiple reports, Amsterdam police confirmed Minaj’s release in a Dutch-language post on their X account, without mentioning her name, and in English read: “We have released a 41-year-old American woman who was arrested this afternoon at Schiphol airport on suspicion of smuggling soft drugs. After consultation with the prosecutor’s office, the suspect has been fined and will be able to continue her journey.”
The 12-time Grammy-nominated rapper was apparently detained after a more than three-minute video surfaced in which he was seen discussing his arrest with an Amsterdam police officer. When the rapper asked why he was being arrested, the officer replied, “For possession of drugs.”
“I don’t have drugs,” the “Anaconda” rapper responded. Minaj told the officer, “I want my lawyer with me,” and when the officer told her to get in her car, she continued, “No, I want my lawyer with me right now.” The officer then appeared to say, “I’m taking you to your next show.” Minaj responded, “You mean my show? What’s up?” according to a video that appeared to be an Instagram Live posted from the rapper’s own page.
USA Today reached out to Minaj’s representatives, who said in an emailed statement to USA Today that they “cannot provide information about individuals over the age of 18. This is due to privacy laws, so we cannot confirm anything.”
Want to take a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
According to Minaj’s official tour website, she was scheduled to perform in Manchester, England on Saturday, but reports said the show has been postponed due to the incident.
Arrested following X’s post claiming Amsterdam airport security tried to ‘sabotage’ her world tour
The star first caused a stir in the early hours of Saturday before her arrest, claiming that officials at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport were trying to “sabotage” her tour.
In a lengthy series of posts about X, she criticized the airports, saying, “They are trying everything to stop this tour,” adding, “They took my luggage and I asked where it was and they said it was on the plane. It couldn’t be, I just parked my car.” Minaj added, “This is how they put stuff in my luggage.”
The rap superstar is currently on his Pink Friday 2 world tour and was en route to the next stop on the tour in Manchester when the incident occurred.
She posted a roughly minute-long video of herself discussing the luggage issue with an airport employee, who appears to be airport security, who asks her to “open” her luggage. Minaj then posted, “They said they found marijuana,” which, as she noted in a previous X post, is legal in Amsterdam.
Minaj explained that the baggage issue happened because “they” would try to get her to book a new flight “every time,” adding that she “fired my manager who for years was pocketing an extra $30,000-50,000 on my jets.” Minaj also said she recently fired her tour manager for the same reason, adding, “Their goal was to make me late so they could pocket $40,000.”
“They are getting paid to sabotage my tour because so many people are mad that the tour is so successful and they’re taking my money and not making a living. They got caught stealing my travel money, jet money. Fired. Pissed. Etc,” Minaj wrote to X.
Minaj also reposted a fan’s post to X, which suggested the baggage checks were being done to further sabotage the star.
“Unlikely for this to happen so soon after the announcement of Nicki’s second US tour leg and before an international flight. Really a chance. No one can convince me. The proof is in the second baggage check,” said the user.
Nicki Minaj’s post about airline X at airports follows Megan Thee Stallion’s rant earlier this year
In addition to this altercation with airport officials, Minaj is also known for her public feuds with other female rappers, including Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B. Earlier this year, she slammed Megan Thee Stallion in a series of tweets and in her diss song “Big Foot.”
“When I lie, I swear on my dead mother” Minaj said in one line“Because she was lying on top of your dead mother.”
Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss” reaches number oneAppears on Billboard Hot 100 amid feud with Nicki Minaj
She also told Megan Thee Stallion, “I told you to ‘get up on your good footing,’ because you fell,” referencing the Houston-born rival’s shooting by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez in 2020. Later in the song, Minaj raps, “Like a bodybuilder, I keep raising the bar,” before asking in a rhyme, “Doesn’t it hurt when you get shot?”
Nicki Minaj’s diss track and X came after her rap colleague made her return to music with the hit single “Hiss” (following the similarly reptilian “Cobra”). In “Hiss,” Minaj raps that people “don’t get mad at Megan” but “get mad at Megan’s Law.” Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, and brother, Jelani Maraj, are registered sex offenders.
