Nicki Minaj will be honored at the MTV VMAs later this month with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, which celebrates artists “for their outstanding contributions and profound impact on music video and popular culture.” Minaj will perform at the awards show as well.
Previous Vanguard Award recipients include Madonna, Janet Jackson, LL Cool J, Jennifer Lopez, and Missy Elliott. Additionally, David Bowie, The Beatles, and director Richard Lester shared the honor at the first-ever VMAs in September 1984.
Minaj is nominated this year in the Best Hip Hop category for her single “Do We Have a Problem?,” featuring Lil Baby. This is her seventeenth nomination at the VMAs since her debut in 2010. She took home her first Moon Person statue for Best Hip Hop Video in 2011 (“Super Bass”) and another the following year for Best Female Video (“Starships”) and has won five VMA trophies throughout her career. Most recently, she picked up a Moon Person in 2019 for Best Power Anthem (“Hot Girl Summer”). Minaj will be releasing her next single “Super Freaky Girl” ahead of the show on August 12.
This year’s show will return to New Jersey’s Prudential Center in Newark on Sunday, August 28.