Nicki Minaj will receive Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at 2022 MTV VMAs
The rapper will also perform at the VMAs for the first time since 2018.
MTV has announced that Nicki Minaj will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). The ceremony will air live on August 28 in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center.
The network will honor Minaj for her sustained career achievement in music videos. The superstar rapper has been nominated for 17 VMA awards, taking home five Moon Person statues since getting her first win for best hip hop video in 2011 for “Super Bass.”
Minaj’s additional VMA wins are for “Anaconda” and “Chun-Li,” both for best hip hop video in 2015 and 2018 respectively; best female video for “Starships” in 2012; and best power anthem in 2019 for “Hot Girl Summer.”
“Nicki has broken barriers for women in hip-hop with her versatility and creative artistry, ” Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+ said in a press release. “She has shifted the music industry and cemented her status as a global superstar with her crossover appeal, genre-defying style and continuing to be unapologetically ‘Nicki’.”
The 10-time Grammy Award-nominee also will perform on the VMA stage for the first time since 2018. During that show, she showcased a medley from her “Queen” album singing “Majesty,” “Ganga Burn,” “FEFE,” and “Barbie Dreams.” During previous VMA appearances in 2012, 2014 and 2016, she has performed with fellow superstars Alicia Keys, Usher and Ariana Grande.
In addition to receiving the Video Vanguard Award, Minaj is nominated for best hip hop video for “Do We Have A Problem,” featuring Lil Baby. One of her competitors in that category is Kendrick Lamar, who – with seven nominations – is in a three-way tie with Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow for most 2022 VMA nods.
Minaj joins past Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award winners like Janet Jackson, LL Cool J, Jennifer Lopez and Missy Elliott. First established at the inaugural MTV VMAs in 1984 as a lifetime achievement honor, the Video Vanguard Award was renamed after Michael Jackson in 1991. The late superstar also won the award in 1988.
News of Minaj’s Video Vanguard Award honor comes as she announces the release of her next single, “Super Freaky Girl.” The song drops on Friday.
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