Video Vanguard Award Meaning and Latest Winner 2022

There have been lots of questions about the video vanguard award and what it means to be a winner. We will be explaining some things you should know below.

The Video Vanguard Award is merit given to recording artists and music video directors at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). It is presented by MTV for outstanding contributions and profound impact on music video and popular culture.

The ceremony was established in 1984.

The trophy for the ceremony’s special category is a gold-plated “moonman,” rather than the silver ones used for the other VMA categories.

At the inaugural VMAs (1984), the Beatles and director Richard Lester received the Video Vanguard Award for “essentially inventing the music video.”

At the same ceremony, David Bowie received the award. Madonna became the first female recipient two years later. In 1991, the award was renamed after Michael Jackson, who had previously won the trophy in 1988.

Video Vanguard Award Winner 2022

As of 2022, Nicki Minaj is the latest winner of the award.

Nicki showed off the white roses sent to her by the power couple (Jay Z and Beyonce) in an Instagram Stories video. There was also a card that said, “Congrats on your beautiful awards. Sending you all our love. Hov and B Holla.”

She expressed her gratitude by saying, “Thank you so much. The both of you. For everything”,

Nicki performed a medley of her hits, including “Moment 4 Life,” “Monster,” “Beez in the Trap,” and others, before accepting the Vanguard award. During her acceptance speech, she thanked those who had inspired her flow, specifically mentioning Lil Wayne, Foxy Brown, Hov, and others.

“Nicki has broken barriers for women in hip-hop with her versatility and creative artistry,” shared Bruce Gillmer, a head music executive at MTV’s parent company Paramount+, in a statement ahead of the ceremony. “She has shifted the music industry and cemented her status as a global superstar with her crossover appeal, genre-defying style and continuing to be unapologetically ‘Nicki.’”