To promote her latest LP, The Pinkprint, and her new tour, rapper Nicki Minaj has tapped into the popular gay dating app, Grindr, hoping to gather masses of fans with information and ticket offers for the accompanying tour. The Pinkprint tour kicked off today, July 17, and will span a total of 19 North American cities in just one month with supporting acts Meek Mill, Rae Sremmurd, Tinashe and DeJ Loaf.
Did @NICKIMINAJ just message me on grindr pic.twitter.com/DnILDoYU9R
— Danny Nett (@nettliest) July 16, 2015
Minaj took to the app yesterday to send advertisements to Grindr users saying, "it kicks off tomorrow. Can't wait to see you all there," notes Billboard. This isn't the first time dating apps have been used to the advantage of entertainers. Mariah Carey created a Match.com profile earlier this year to unveil the video for her single "Infinity," while Hilary Duff set up a Tinder profile for her latest hit, "Sparks." Tinder has also seen profiles for Zedd and Jason Derulo while Madonna took to Grindr to offer one fan the chance to chat in February.
@NICKIMINAJ even Grindr (the gay app for hook ups) is promoting your tour!! pic.twitter.com/Yn0Gx7xRi8 — muva (@thegayariel) July 16, 2015
The female rapper missed her entire set at London's Wireless Festival earlier this month after showing up two hours late to the event. Set to perform at 7 p.m., she didn't step onstage until 9:30 p.m., cutting into David Guetta's headlining set. The two collaborated for a 30-minute mash-up of "Feeling Myself," "Anaconda," and other fan favorites.
Upon gracing the stage, NME notes that Minaj told the crowd: "Our plane couldn't get out because of the weather but I want to tell you how much I f*cking love y'all. I want to tell you how much I appreciate you guys for showing up from day one."
