JAY-Z and Beyoncé have applauded Nicki Minaj on adding yet another prestigious award to her trophy cabinet.
The Young Money superstar was honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards last weekend, recognizing her “outstanding contributions” and “profound impact” on music video and popular culture.
On Thursday (September 1), Nicki posted a video on her Instagram Stories flaunting a bouquet of flowers gifted to her by Mr. and Mrs. Carter. They were accompanied by a note that read: “Congrats on your beautiful award. Sending you all of our love. Hov and B Holla.”
The Queens, New York native expressed her gratitude to the power couple in her caption, writing: “Thank you so much. The both of you. For everything [folded hands emoji].”
Nicki Minaj has made no secret that she holds JAY-Z and Beyoncé in high esteem. While accepting the Vanguard award at the VMAs, she thanked Hov for inspiring her artistry and showed her appreciation to Bey for helping to propel her career.
“I want to take a second to just say thank you to all the key people that inspired me, who I think inspired my flow: Lil Wayne, Foxy Brown, Lauryn Hill, JAY-Z, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh,” she said. “People who gave me huge opportunities that I’ll never forget: Kanye West, Beyoncé, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Eminem, Britney Spears, Rihanna.”
Beyoncé reciprocated the love on the Madonna-assisted “Queens Remix” of her hit single “Break My Soul” last month, shouting out Nicki along with other Black female icons.
As is tradition for recipients of the Vanguard award, Nicki performed a career-spanning medley of some of her greatest hits during the VMAs ceremony. The 10-minute spectacle saw the Queen MC light up the Prudential Center stage with “Super Bass,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Monster” and more.
She closed out the set with a seductive performance of her latest single “Super Freaky Girls,” which continues to write her into the history books. The Rick James-sampling song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 following its August 12 release, making her the first female solo rap artist to debut atop the chart since Lauryn Hill in 1998 with “Doo Wop (That Thing).”
“You did it barbz,” Nicki wrote on Instagram while reacting to the news. “You did it. I love you so much. like so so SO much. Thank you.”
[via]