Nicki Minaj has been performing for fans across the globe on her Pink Friday 2 World Tour, but one country she won’t be blessing her presence with is Romania.
The Young Money rapper was scheduled to headline the SAGA Festival in the capital of Bucharest on Sunday night (July 7).
However, she was forced to cancel her performance at the last minute due to safety concerns surrounding protests set to take place in the city the following day.
“Out of concern for the well-being of our team and myself, I have been advised by my security detail not to travel to Romania’s festival tonight due to safety concerns regarding protests in the area,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday evening. “I look forward to seeing you all at another time.
“As a mom, I have to make sure I’m making sound decisions for me to make it home to my son and for my team to make it home to their families. To not heed the advice of security at this time is simply not what I think I should be doing. I love you and thank you for your understanding and support.”
She added: “I am very excited to see my fans this Friday in London for another very special headlining show at Wireless Festival.”
Out of concern for the well-being of our team and myself, I have been advised by my security detail not to travel to Romania’s festival tonight due to safety concerns regarding protests in the area. I look forward to seeing you all at another time. As a mom, I have to make sure…
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 7, 2024
Nicki Minaj didn’t specify which protests she was referring to, but Crisis24 reports that “civil society groups plan to march in Bucharest” on Monday over the Romanian government’s fiscal policies.
“Business groups and taxpayers are demanding improvements to the state’s fiscal policies and processes,” the report says. “Demonstrators will then rally in front of the Ministry of Finance until 13:30. It is likely that several hundred to low thousands of protesters will take part.
“Heightened security and localized transport disruptions are possible in the immediate vicinity of the protest. The demonstration will likely be peaceful.”
Despite breaking the record for the highest-grossing tour by a female rapper in history, this isn’t the first hiccup that Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 Tour has experienced.
In May, the “Super Bass” star was arrested at an Amsterdam airport for what Dutch police referred to as “possessing soft drugs” as she was about to board a plane to Manchester.
She was later fined and released, but was forced to cancel her show in the English city after being unable make it to the venue in time.
Nicki claimed she was subjected to “disgusting” treatment during the arrest and suggested that race played a part.
“Not being able to get to Manchester, I don’t know when was the last time I felt that low,” she said while talking to fans on the livestream platform Stationhead.
“Not only that, but knowing that something is being done to you on purpose simply because you are a confident other race […] There was one lady there — all the rest were men — and I could tell she had a heart. The treatment was just disgusting and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
When asked by a listener if Dutch authorities treated her like a “human,” Nicki answered: “No. When they put out that press release that I was released, I was still in the building. They were doing maybe damage control, I don’t know.”
