Nicki Minaj received the Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, paying tribute to artists who have inspired her.
“I don’t know why I wrote this down, but it was in my spirit to say: I wish Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were here,” Minaj began. “I wish people understood what they were saying and what they were going through. I wish Pop Smoke, Juice Wrld, and Nipsey Hussle were in attendance. R.I.P., Daddy, Richard, my cousin, and Angela, my business manager, to whom I never got to publicly say “rest in peace.””
She also addressed mental health, saying, “I wish people would take mental health seriously — even for the people you think have perfect lives.”
Minaj accepted the award after performing a medley of her hits, including her new single “Super Freaky Girl,” which she co-hosted with LL Cool J and Jack Harlow.
Minaj credited Lil Wayne, Foxy Brown, Lauryn Hill, and Jay-Z for inspiring her work, as well as Kanye West, Beyoncé, Madonna, Eminem, Britney Spears, and Rihanna.
