Nicki Minaj flew to what she believed was a festival appearance in China last weekend, to then find out it was apparently all a scam.
Minaj was supposed to be playing a 90-minute set at Djakarta Warehouse Project China, and flew to Shanghai for the show. As Shanghaiist reports, the festival was billed as a spin-off of a festival that takes place in Bali, Indonesia with the same name. However, the Bali festival organisers released a statement claiming the Shanghai event was “unauthorised”.
“The event rumoured to take place in Shanghai on 17 and 18 of November 2018 is an unauthorised use of DWP trademark. DWP as a brand, has no association with the event,” a statement via Buzzfeed said.
The Shanghai festival denied any wrongdoing. Tickets for the event were going for up to $400, with Minaj billed alongside other acts like DJ Snake. A set of that length by Minaj is estimated to be worth about $3 million. Though the festival still went ahead, the Queen rapper refused to perform at the event after learning of the drama when she landed in China.
In a fan-recorded video, Minaj promised to return to the city with a “better partner”, adding: “I'll be back you guys for my real fans, in Shanghai, in China. I love you so much.”