At the MTV Video Music Awards 2022, Nicki Minaj was not only the host but also the recipient of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. After delivering an electric performance on stage, Minaj who has previously been the five-time winner and 17-time VMA nominee took home the most prestigious award of the night and delivered an emotional speech.
The rapper donned a pink wig and a matching outfit at the event and after her performance, while accepting the award thanked her family as well as her peers and those who gave her opportunities early on in her career. She first acknowledged “all of the key people who inspired me,” including Lil Wayne, JAY-Z and Lauryn Hill. Minaj further added, “people who gave me huge opportunities that I’ll never forget,” including Kanye West, Beyonce, Britney Spears and Rihanna.
In her speech, the rapper also addressed the importance of mental health awareness and added, “I wish that Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were here. I wish that people understood what they meant and what they were going through. I wish people took mental health seriously, even for the people that you think have the perfect lives”, via Entertainment Tonight. She also remembered Pop Smoke, Nipsey Hussle and Juice WRLD in her speech.
As for her performance at the ceremony, Minaj performed some of her biggest hits including Monster, Beez in the Trap, Moment 4 Life and Super Bass amid the backdrop of a Barbie dreamhouse that was designed on stage that matched with her pink outfit.
