Nicki Minaj shows up at store in Manhattan, fans go nuts

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Pure pandemonium broke out in Bryant Park at the height of rush hour when superstar Nicki Minaj decided to make a surprise appearance at a Sprint retail store on 42nd Street.

She announced the appearance in a video on social media just minutes before she arrived.

"So I'm headed there right now," she said. "Meet me there."

And hundreds did. So many, in fact, that traffic on 42nd Street came to a standstill. And there didn't appear to be enough private security nor NYPD officers on hand to keep everyone in line.

Once inside, Nicki met one-on-one with fans who upgraded their Sprint phone plans and purchased her new album, "Queen."

Nicki's fans, affectionately called "Barbz," came out in droves and didn't seem to mind that their brush with fame lasted only seconds.

One person who came to the store told Fox 5 that New Yorkers are Nicki's most loyal fans.

The feeling is mutual. The rapper, who was born in Queens, told me that there is no place like home.

"I love being home—my fans' energy in New York is a different type of energy," she said. "So I can't complain."