Nicki Minaj Catches VMAs Up to Speed With ‘Last Time I Saw You’ and ‘Pink Friday 2’ Preview
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The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards can’t get enough of Nicki Minaj. In addition to serving as the presiding MC for the night, the rapper also took the stage for the debut live performance of her latest single, “Last Time I Saw You,” set to appear on her forthcoming album Pink Friday 2, out in November.
As MC, Minaj was missing for most of the night after her initial appearance at the start of the show. When she returned for her performance, it was with a stunning vocal performance in a rare reminder that she can sing nearly as well as she can rap. Stripping down from an oversized black jacket to a lacy lingerie set. She stayed stationed at his mic stand for the full performance, no pop spectacle theatrics distracting from the moment — or so it seemed.
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“MTV it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t give you a Pink Friday 2 exclusive,” Minaj said before launching into an unreleased song. “These bitches ain’t better than me,” she rapped. “You said you look up to her, but really you look up to me.” If there’s one thing the rapper is going to do every chance she gets, it’s claim her title as the queen of rap.
Before the night’s end, Minaj will return for a second performance, this time accompanied by a crew of other hip-hop greats. To close out the show, Minaj will join Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Doug E. Fresh, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in a tribute performance celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
Minaj was the 2022 VMAs Video Vanguard Award recipient, as well as one of three MCs for the night, alongside LL Cool J and Jack Harlow. Her career-spanning performance featured a medley of snippets from “Roman Revenge,” “Monster,” “Beez in the Trap,” “Chun-Li,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Super Bass,” and “Super Freaky Girl.”
This year, Minaj earned six nominations, including Best Hip-Hop, Video of the Year, and Artist of the Year. She now boasts a total of 25 career nominations at the awards ceremony, including multiple wins for Best Hip-Hop, awarded to “Anaconda” in 2015, “Chun-Li” in 2018, and “Do We Have a Problem?” in 2022.
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