Chinese fans of US rapper Nicki Minaj have been left outraged and hundreds of dollars out of pocket after the musician flew all the way to Shanghai for a music festival, but refused to come on stage after finding out the event was a scam.

Key points: Questions raised over whether event was legitimate DWP festival

Questions raised over whether event was legitimate DWP festival Up to 1,000 fans reportedly waited two hours for Minaj to appear

Up to 1,000 fans reportedly waited two hours for Minaj to appear Company that organised Shanghai show said it would refund fans

Minaj was billed to perform at the DWP China music festival alongside Luis Fonsi — responsible for the 2017 earworm Despacito — DJ Snake and Blasterjaxx among others.

DWP, which stands for Djakarta Warehouse Project, is an annual dance music festival held in Indonesia each year, and the Shanghai event was billed as the festival's debut in China.

However it appears the event held over the weekend may have actually been a rip-off and not associated with or authorised by the Indonesian festival.

It has been alleged the DWP China event in Shanghai was a scam. ( Twitter )

Unfortunately for all involved, it appeared Minaj and her entourage only became aware of this issue after arriving in Shanghai, and after travelling to the venue.

A crowd of up to 1,000 fans reportedly waited two hours for the artist to appear on stage, but were told by organisers at the venue she "refused to perform", according to the state-owned Global Times newspaper.

Video posted by disappointed fans on Chinese social media site Weibo showed an event organiser encouraging the audience to chant Minaj's name, so she would come out on stage.

In a statement posted on Weibo, the company that organised the Shanghai show, Yatai Huaying, pinned the blame on Minaj.

"Minaj failed to arrive on time, which severely delayed the show," the company said.

"After she arrived, she still refused to perform despite fans clamouring for her and the organisers negotiating with her for two hours."

The company said it would be refunding money to fans who attended the show, some of whom paid up to 3,000 yuan ($593) for their tickets, according to the website Shanghaiist.

Another video from the event showed a man, believed to be Minaj's manager, trying to calm fans down, saying issues with the sound were to blame.

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Minaj is yet to comment on what exactly happened in Shanghai, however she did speak briefly to fans who farewelled her at the airport.

"I'll be back you guys, for my real fans in Shanghai, in China, I love you so much," she said.

"I'll be back with a better partner this time, OK?"

Claims Shanghai festival was a rip-off of original

Questions have been raised over whether the event was a legitimate DWP festival, or a copycat festival that advertised itself using the Indonesian event's branding.

Ismaya Group, the Indonesian company that runs DWP, had been planning to put on an event in China in November this year.

It set up social media accounts and a website for "DWP China" in the process — but a post on those accounts last week set off alarm bells.

"The event rumoured to take place in Shanghai on 17th and 18th of November 2018 is an unauthorised use of DWP trademark," it said.

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"DWP, as a brand, has no association with the event."

However, the organisers of the Shanghai event fired back on their Weibo account on the weekend of the festival, claiming they were authorised.

"Ismaya Group unilaterally publishes untrue messages on the Internet in violation of the spirit of the contract," Yatai Huaying, which is based in the city of Chengdu, said.

The company shared what they said was a legal notice that gave them the right to use DWP's trademark.

It is not known whether the image posted was actually a legitimate legal notice.

The ABC has contacted DWP's Indonesian office for comment.