Nicki Minaj. MTV
A huge acquire for the Barbs! Nicki Minaj was honored with the Michael Jackson Online video Vanguard Award at the 2022 MTV VMAs — and her exhibit-halting general performance proved accurately why she deserves it.
The 39-year-outdated rapper took a split from her cohosting duties on Sunday, August 28, to just take the phase with a medley of her greatest hits, from “Monster” to “Moment 4 Daily life.” Numerous dancers joined her for the Barbie-impressed performance, busting moves on the pyramid-formed phase. Along with a brilliant pink wig and dazzling prime, Minaj wore colored contacts and a quick pink skirt. The medley wrapped up with “Super Freaky Girl,” the Wager Award winner’s hottest single which samples the 1981 strike “Super Freak.”
Pursuing the functionality, movie messages from lovers sharing their really like for Minaj floated on monitor. A handful of Barbs later took the stage to introduce their most loved artist.
Even though accepting her trophy at the Prudential Heart in Newark, New Jersey, Minaj gave a shout-out to all of her greatest supporters. “To absolutely everyone in here, God bless you and thank you,” she started. “I want to get a 2nd to just say thank you to some of the essential folks that encouraged me and I assume encouraged my flow. … [And] people today who gave me massive options that I’ll by no means fail to remember: Kanye West, Beyoncé, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Eminem, Britney Spears, Rihanna.”
Minaj went on to send out enjoy to Drake “for often declaring the factors I need to listen to to get me back in the match, introducing, “My complete Youthful Cash family, my Republic relatives, my infants Wendy, Joe, Josh, the whole creating. I wrote this down, I never know why, but this was in my spirit to say. I want that Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were being below.”
She concluded by screaming the name of her fandom. “Barbs!” she gushed. “You men are my babies, but I have a new toddler. His title is Papa Bear and I like him so much. Mommy loves you so, so, so, so, so a lot.”
Forward of the awards present, the “Starships” artist celebrated her major career accomplishment by way of social media and teased her can’t-miss out on efficiency. “I’m obtaining the Video Vanguard Award at the 2022 #VMAs!” she captioned an Instagram publish at the time. “You DO NOT !!!! I REPEAT!!!! You do NOTTTTTT want to miss out on my performance.”
Paramount+ exec Bruce Gillmer went on to give lovers additional insight into why Minaj was the fantastic healthy for the prestigious honor. “Nicki has broken limitations for women in hip-hop with her versatility and resourceful artistry,” he pointed out in a assertion in August. “She has shifted the music market and cemented her position as a world wide celebrity with her crossover charm, genre-defying style and continuing to be unapologetically ‘Nicki.’”
Nicki Minaj. MTV
The “Anaconda” artist is the first musician to get the Michael Jackson Video clip Vanguard Award because 2019 when Missy Elliot was provided the honor. She designed history at the time for remaining the initially female rapper to take the trophy. Past winners include Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson and additional.
Minaj is no stranger to the MTV VMAs stage, earning her first nomination in 2010 for Most effective New Artist. She won her 1st award the next 12 months, taking household Best Hip-Hop Movie for her song “Super Bass.” 4 a lot more wins adopted more than the decades from a complete of 16 nominations, which includes Greatest Female Movie for “Starships” in 2012.
The “Queen Radio” host’s heritage at the awards display has also been loaded with a lot of drama. In 2015, Miley Cyrus dissed Minaj all through an interview with The New York Situations ahead of internet hosting the VMAs — and the Other Lady star included gas to the feud at the ceremony.
“And now, back again to this bitch that had a ton to say about me the other day in the press,” Minaj explained on phase for the duration of the dwell broadcast. “Miley, what is very good?”
Months afterwards, the “Bang Bang” artist hadn’t permit go of the rift. “Perdue chickens can by no means discuss s–t about queens,” Minaj said of the Hannah Montana alum all through a June 2019 episode of her radio clearly show. “She disrespected me in a journal write-up for no purpose. … Now you coming out with pink wigs, all you bitches wanna be Nicki.”
