Nicki Minaj To Receive Video Vanguard Award At 2022 MTV VMAs

MTV announced Nicki Minaj as the next recipient of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

The Republic Records artist will be honored and perform at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. The event airs live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on August 28.

“Nicki has broken barriers for women in Hip Hop with her versatility and creative artistry,” Paramount executive Bruce Gillmer 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’.”

MTV hasn’t presented a Video Vanguard Award to any artist since 2019. Past honorees include Missy Elliott, LL Cool J, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Rihanna and the Beastie Boys.

Nicki Minaj’s appearance at the VMAs adds to an already busy month for the diamond-selling rapper. Her Queen Radio show makes its return on Thursday (August 11), moving from its original home of Apple Music to Amazon’s Amp app.

The Billboard chart-topper will also release a new song titled “Super Freaky Girl” on Friday (August 12). The track samples the Rick James classic “Super Freak,” which appeared on his Street Songs album.

Fans can pre-save Nicki Minaj’s upcoming single here.