Nicki Minaj was the recipient of the Video Vanguard award at Sunday’s VMAs. Before the honor, Minaj performed “Roman’s Revenge,” “Bees in the Trap,” “Chun-Li,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Super Bass,” and “Anaconda” from a reimagined Barbie dreamhouse. She then broke into her latest number one song, “Super Freaky Girl.” During her acceptance speech, Minaj said, “I never ever in my life have written a speech, and today I jotted something down on my phone.” She continued to thank “key people that inspired” her like Lil Wayne, Foxy Brown, Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, Slick Rick, and Doug E. Fresh. Nicki also thanked “people who gave [her] huge opportunities that [she’ll] never forget,” like Kanye West, Beyoncé, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Eminem, and Rihanna. Minaj added, “I have to thank Drizzy for always saying the things I need to hear to get back in the game.” She went on to say, “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 who you think have perfect lives. I wish Pop Smoke and Juice WRLD and Nipsey Hussle were here.” Minaj also gave a shout to her son Papa Bear.
