Nicki Minaj is poised to receive MTV’s highly coveted Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2022 Video Music Awards on Aug.
28. Upon accepting the enviable moon man — an accolade previously earned by the posh pop culture likes of Madonna, 63; Janet Jackson, 56; LL Cool J, 54; Missy Elliot, 51; and the late David Bowie — Minaj will make her long-awaited return to the VMAs stage for her first performance at the annual awards since 2018. “Nicki has broken barriers for women in hip-hop with her versatility and creative artistry,” said Bruce Gillmer, a top executive at Paramount+, which owns MTV Network, in a statement about the 39-year-old recipient.
He continued: “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.'”The Video Vanguard honor for Minaj — a five-time VMA winner and 17-time nominee from Queens — comes as a boon amid a flurry of personal yet public hurdles.
On Wednesday, Charles Polevich — the 73-year-old man responsible for killing her father, Robert Maraj, 64, in a February 2021 hit-and-run accident on Long Island — was sentenced to serve only one year in jail.
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