Adoring fans mobbed the vehicle which Trinidadian born American rapper, Nicki Minaj was in after she performed for the first time on a local stage at the Localize Itt concert which took place on Saturday night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain.
Minaj left shortly after performing for little over a half an hour at the concert but patrons waited in the car park of the venue to catch a glimpse of the entertainer. The driver of the vehicle had to stop several times as fans came up to the windows of the van trying to speak with the rapper. Minaj smiled and waved before her driver was able to drive the vehicle towards the exit. After clearing the crowd, Minaj was seen smiling broadly at her mother, Carol Maraj, who was in the vehicle and touching her heart clearly overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from her local fans.
Fireworks lit the night sky and screams filled the air when Minaj, whose real name is Onika Maraj, took the stage about 11pm on Saturday night. Dressed in red leggings, a frilly white and gold shirt with a red inner piece, gold and red accessories, leopard print heels and sporting a blonde wig, Minaj took the stage accompanied by a hype man known as SB and her female disc jockey who was dressed in pink to match Minajs pink nails and lipstick.
Her performance began with Itty Bitty Piggy a song off her 2009 mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty. She continued her performance with her verses in several popular raps including Bed Rock, Bottoms Up, Check It Out and her single Your Love which is included in her album, Pink Friday, which is set to release on November 22. At several points, Minaj stopped rapping to listen to the crowd which was singing along to every word of her songs and waving clappers. While the MTV and Kids zones located in the front were filled with patrons, there were small crowds in the VIP and General sections.
During her performance, Minaj took time out to interact with her fans to the front of the stage which included local and regional celebrities, other persons who travelled to Trinidad from the Caribbean to see the artiste and children who were located in the Kids Zone positioned stage-side. Minaj asked trivia about her and rewarded fans with T-shirts advertising the release of her album. She autographed hands and even the chests of women in the crowd and other T-shirts which she distributed to the crowd.
Minajs DJ mixed it up at the rappers request for that Destra song I like and began playing current dancehall hits. Minaj closed her performance by asking for a national flag which she waved while singing her verse in Kanye Wests Monster.
Her DJ resumed playing but this time some soca hits including Blaxx Tusty, Bunji Garlins Mad Carnival and Faye Anns Ah Something. Minaj at this point invited patrons on stage to show her their wining skills and admitted that she herself could not wine. Before leaving stage she spoke to her fans who responded with shouts of Nicki, We love you!
Stay in school and get your own, she advised. She promised the next time she performs in Trinidad which will be after the release of her album, it will be with a full band and repertoire. This concert was so special to me. I dont know how I am holding up right now. You all treated me so beautifully, she said before assuring that she will try her best to come back to Trinidad for Carnival next year.
Minajs performance came in the midst of an abundance of local acts. Concert promoter, Daryl Braxton, launched his label, D Project Records and its artistes, rap duo Nebula 868, Terri Lyons, Judah and 3 Suns.
Other acts included Maximus Dan, the Makamillion Family which featured Buffy and Orlando, Swappi and Road March and Soca Monarch champions for this year JW and Blaze.