EXCLUSIVE

Nicki Minaj Not Dropped From Chris Brown's Tour ... She Never Signed On

Nicki Minaj wasn't dropped from Chris Brown's upcoming tour, but ya still won't see her onstage with him -- because she's putting her music before life on the road.

Here's the sitch -- people freaked out on Monday after Chris officially announced his IndiGOAT Tour that's set to kick off this summer ... because Nicki was left out of the lineup ... a lineup that includes Tory Lanez, Ty Dolla $ign and other big names.

INDIGOAT TOUR SUMMER 2019 featuring @torylanez @tydollasign @JoynerLucas & #YellaBeezy. Presales start 6/12 at 12pm local time!!!! https://t.co/8cexzgdbHr pic.twitter.com/Gx7dMbE29S

Why that matters, you may ask? Two months ago, a report came out claiming Chris and Nicki were going on tour together in the fall ... which Chris himself seemed to confirm by responding with the following social media message.

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... Nicki never signed on to Chris' tour in any capacity. We're told the two artists did discuss touring together after their G-Eazy collab, "Wobble Up," but talks never materialized into a deal.

We're told Nicki's the one who decided the tour wasn't for her, but not because she had beef with Chris. Her reasons were several ... she was working on music and a tour would have cut into her studio time, and she just wrapped her European tour and going out on the road again was too much.

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