“The Barbz” came out in droves to support the superstar rapper as she co-hosted the 2022 MTV VMAs and received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
Nicki Minaj was arguably the main attraction at Sunday’s 2022 “MTV Video Music Awards.” The 10-time Grammy Award-nominee got her flowers from the network as co-host, received awards and performed a show-stopping medley of her hits.
But the reverberation of admiration from attendees illustrated just how much Minaj has accomplished in her career. Her devoted fanbase, known as The Barbz, was out in full force at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center, the primary location of the ceremony, which included two other stages in the New York City area.
It all began with Minaj performing a career retrospective. Weeks ago, MTV announced that she would receive the 2022 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard for her career achievement in music videos. Before receiving the trophy, she performed on the VMA stage for the first time since 2019.
On a stage set-piece built as a giant pink house, a light fixture that spelled “Nicki” illuminated the rapper in silhouette as she rapped the opening lines of “All Things Go,” the first track of her 2014 album, “The Pinkprint.” Starting with the iconic verse that catapulted her into stardom — on Kanye West’s “Monster” — she launched into her classic material.
Minaj, surrounded by dancers, seamlessly transitioned from one hit to the next: “Chun-Li,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Super Bass” and “Anaconda.” She ended the medley with her new song, “Super Freaky Girl,” which debuted last week at No. 1 on the !
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