![Nicki Minaj](./media_1d0e2bc417821a29b889231918848e0493f93bb92.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
Last night (Aug. 29), MTV returned with this year’s Video Music Awards, a multihour event packed with notable moments from Jack Harlow, Lizzo, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bad Bunny, and more. The show also honored Nicki Minaj with the Video Vanguard Award following the likes of Beyoncé, Kanye West, and Rihanna as recipients. It was during this achievement when Minaj gave an emotional speech about the importance of mental health, while also paying respects to late peers like Nipsey Hussle and Pop Smoke:
“I wrote this down, I don’t know why y’all, but this was in my spirit 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.”
Just prior to that moment, Minaj burst onto the stage with a medley of past hits like “Super Bass,” “Beez In the Trap,” “Roman’s Revenge,” and “Moment 4 Life,” reminding viewers and attendees why the Young Money alum remains as one of the biggest artists in music. She ended the performance with her most recent single “Super Freaky Girl,” a Rick James-sampled cut that has since debuted at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
Last week, Minaj liberated a 28-song compilation LP titled Queen Radio: Volume 1, which boasts both aforementioned classics and current loose drops like “Do We Have A Problem?” with Lil Baby, “We Go Up” with Fivio Foreign, and “Seeing Green” with Drake and Lil Wayne. According to Hits Daily Double, the album is expected to sell between 25,000 and 30,000 album-equivalent units during its first week of release. If you missed it, you can enjoy both Nicki Minaj’s MTV Video Music Awards performance and Video Vanguard acceptance speech below.