Rapper, singer and songwriter Nicki Minaj will receive MTV’s Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and perform for the first time since 2018 at the 2022 VMAs, airing live from Prudential Center on Sunday, Aug. 28.
“Nicki has broken barriers for women in hip-hop with her versatility and creative artistry,” said Bruce Gillmer, president of music, music talent, programming and events, Paramount+. “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’.”
Minaj, a 17-time VMAs nominee and five-time VMAs winner, took home her first Moon Person for best hip-hop video in 2011. This year she is nominated in the best hip-hop category.
Last year NickiNicki Minaj pulled out of her MTV VMAs Performance saying ‘Next Year We There Baby’ Nicki on Twitter. I was the second year in a row that the VMAs did not honor anyone with the Video Vanguard Award. No one received the award from 2004 to 2005 and again between 2007 and 2010. The Vanguard Award was arguably the show’s highest honor between the years of 2013 and 2019 — the recipients in those years were Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Rihanna, P!nk, Jennifer Lopez and Missy Elliott.
Minaj made her VMAs debut in 2012, rapping on Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” and returned to the stage with three performances in 2014: a solo performance of her “Pinkprint” single “Anaconda;” then she joined Ariana Grande and Jessie J for “Bang Bang,” and finally, “She Came To Give It To U” with Usher.
She delivered her most recent performance on the VMAs stage in 2018 for a rap medley from her album “Queen,” featuring songs “Majesty,” “Ganga Burn,” “FEFE” and “Barbie Dreams.” Her next single, “Super Freaky Girl,” will be released on Friday, Aug. 12.
Minaj joins Anitta, J Balvin, Marshmello x Khalid and Panic! at the Disco on the lineup of performances for the 2022 VMAs.
The Barbie Queen took to instagram to announce her award, posting a video promo for the event with a caption:
“I’m receiving the Video Vanguard Award at the 2022 #VMAs! You DO NOT !!!! I REPEAT!!!! You do NOTTTTTT want to miss my performance – Sunday August 28 at 8p on @MTV 😫🙏🏽🎀💕🫢🔥🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄”
This year, Jack Harlow, Lil Nas X and Kendrick Lamar are the top award contenders with seven nominations. Harlow, Lil Nas X, Drake, Bad Bunny, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and Lizzo will compete for artist of the year.
Styles and Doja Cat received the second-most nominations with six. Sheeran, Billie Eilish, Drake, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd each pulled in five.
Shenseea is the first to be nominated in that new category and only the second Jamaican woman to be nominated for an MTV Music Video Award. She joins a slew of other Jamaican acts to be nominated in the past including Lady Saw who was nominated for Best Pop Video for her collab with No Doubt titled Underneath It All.
Bounty Killer, was nominated for Best Pop Video and Best Group Video in 2002 with No Doubt for Hey Baby, Sean Paul, was nominated for Best New Artist In A Video and Best Dance Video for Get Busy in 2003, and Best Dance Video for Temperature in 2006, Elephant Man, who was nominated for Pon Di River in 2004, and OMI, was nominated for Song Of The Summer for Cheerleader in 2015.
Madonna, who is the most awarded artist in MTV history with 20 wins, becomes the only artist to receive a nomination in each of the VMAs five decades. She earned her 69th nomination for her 14th studio album “Madame X.”
