Nicki Minaj Received The VMA's Vanguard Award

by MIKE CHAIKEN
CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITOR

There was no real surprise that Nicki Minaj finally got her Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs on Aug. 28.
The bigger surprise, especially after her banger performance on the live broadcast, is why she didn’t get the award sooner.

Nicki is made for video. She’s colorful. She’s sexy. A little bit naughty. She’s a great singer.

And her flow… well, you don’t get tapped to do all of those features if you sucked.

Minaj’s performance, where she was the color pink personified, was colorful, sexy and naughty. And she breathlessly rapped and sang across songs like “Beez in the Trap” and her newest song, “Super Freak Girl” during her 10 minutes on the stage of Newark’s Prudential Center.

The Video Vanguard Award is presented, according to MTV, “to artists for their outstanding contributions and profound impact on music video and popular culture… Previous Vanguard Award recipients include Madonna, Janet Jackson, LL Cool J, Jennifer Lopez, and Missy Elliott.”

Minaj was nominated for and won, this year’s Best Hip Hop award for her single “Do We Have a Problem?,” which also features fellow rapper Lil Baby. This was her seventeenth nomination at the VMAs since her debut in 2010. She previously won 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, including 2019’s Best Power Anthem for “Hot Girl Summer.”

The winners on Aug. 28 were:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Taylor Swift -- "All Too Well" (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)



ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Bad Bunny



SONG OF THE YEAR

Billie Eilish -- "Happier Than Ever"



BEST NEW ARTIST

Dove Cameron



PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

December 2021: SEVENTEEN -- "Rock With You"



BEST COLLABORATION

Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow -- "INDUSTRY BABY"



BEST POP

Harry Styles -- "As It Was" –



BEST HIP-HOP

Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Baby -- "Do We Have A Problem?"



BEST ROCK

Red Hot Chili Peppers -- "Black Summer"



BEST ALTERNATIVE

Måneskin -- "I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE"



BEST LATIN

Anitta -- "Envolver"



BEST R&B

The Weeknd -- "Out Of Time"



BEST K-POP

LISA -- "LALISA"



VIDEO FOR GOOD

Lizzo -- "About Damn Time"



BEST METAVERSE PERFORMANCE

BLACKPINK The Virtual



BEST LONGFORM VIDEO

Taylor Swift -- "All Too Well" (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)



BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Harry Styles -- "As It Was"



BEST DIRECTION

Taylor Swift -- "All Too Well" (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)



BEST ART DIRECTION

Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow -- "INDUSTRY BABY"



BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow -- "INDUSTRY BABY"



BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Doja Cat -- "Woman"



BEST EDITING

ROSALÍA -- "SAOKO"



GROUP OF THE YEAR

BTS



SONG OF THE SUMMER

Jack Harlow -- "First Class"



ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Harry Styles -- "Harry's House"