Nicki Minaj to get Video Vanguard Award, Perform at MTV Awards

Photo Courtesy Universal Music Group

Nicki Minaj is taking home one of the top honors at this year's MTV Video Music Awards.

The network announced on Monday that the "Super Bass" rapper will be the 35th recipient of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

First established in 1984 — it was renamed to honor Jackson in 1991. MTV said the award is presented to artists for "their outstanding contributions and profound impact on music video and popular culture."

“Nicki has broken barriers for women in hip-hop with her versatility and creative artistry,” said Bruce Gillmer, chief content officer of music at Paramount+ and president of music, of the reasons for her selection.

I’m receiving the Video Vanguard Award at the 2022 #VMAs! You don’t want to miss my performance – Sunday August 28 at 8p on @MTV Aaaahhhhhh😫🙏🏽💕🎀♥️🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄csfxffvmmkbdsavgkmkkevhvjj pic.twitter.com/dPGgXe2gZA

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) August 8, 2022

He added, “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.'"

Consisting of a gold-plated version of the Moon Person, the VMAs trophy mascot presented in silver to other category winners, the Vanguard Award puts Minaj in rare company. Legends David Bowie, The Beatles, and director Richard Lester shared the inaugural honor at the first VMAs in 1984. Other notable recipients include Madonna, Janet Jackson, LL Cool J, Jennifer Lopez, and Missy Elliott.

Minaj will receive the award on Aug. 28, at New Jersey’s Prudential Center. when she is also scheduled to perform at the VMAs. She joins previously announced performers Anitta, J Balvin, Marshmello x Khalid and Panic! at the Disco

In addition to her Vanguard Award, the five-time MTV trophy winner has a chance to take home the trophy for Best Hip-Hop Video. Minaj scored her seventeenth nomination for her single “Do We Have a Problem?” — which features fellow rapper Lil Baby.

If she gets the win, it would be her first since 2019, when Minaj won for Best Power Anthem (“Hot Girl Summer”).

Russian Court Gives WNBA Star, Brittney Griner, 9 Year Prison Sentence

(Source: Russia 24/CNN)

WNBA star Brittney Griner was found guilty of drug possession and drug smuggling by a Russian judge on Thursday.

The conviction came with a nine year prison sentence and she was fined 1 million rubles ($16,590).

Griner offered an apology for her behavior ahead of the sentencing.

"I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them," she said. "I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home."

She added: “I made an honest mistake, and I hope in your ruling it does not end my lifeHope in your ruling it does not end my life."

The two-time Olympic champion testified that she inadvertently placed cannabis cartridges into her bag while “stress-packing” for her trip to Russia, where she was contracted to play basketball for a local team during WNBA’s off-season.

“I want the court to understand that this was an honest mistake that I made while rushing, under stress, trying to recover from COVID and just trying to get back to my team,” Griner said.

Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed Nicki Minaj’s Father Sentenced to a Year in Jail

Screengrab: Nicki Minaj/Instagram

The man responsible for the death of platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated rapper Nicki Minaj's father was sentenced to a year in jail on Wednesday.

Charles Polevich, 72, struck Robert Maraj with his Volvo station wagon while the 64-year-old was walking alongside the road in Mineola, New York, in February of 2021.

According to prosecutors, following the incident, Polevich briefly stopped to ask if Maraj was OK. Instead of alerting authorities or seeking help for Maraj, though, he drove home.

Polevich parked his car in the garage and covered it with a tarp. Maraj was later transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead the following day.

Following her father's death Minaj, who was born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and raised in Queens, wrote, "It has been the most devastating loss of my life," in a personal message she shared on her website.

 

Charles Polevich, 70, of Mineola. (Courtesy NCPD)

She added, "May his soul rest in paradise. He was very loved & will be very missed."

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of one to three years behind bars for Polevich. Nassau County Judge Howard Sturim decreed he would get “no more than one year in jail" after he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene and tampering with evidence.

Polevich was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and had his driver’s license suspended for six months.

In 2021, Charles Polevich killed Robert Maraj, Nicki Minaj’s father, in a hit-and-run. Today, he was sentenced to only 1 yr in prison after pleading guilty. America's criminal justice system has disappointed another family seeking justice & accountability. https://t.co/uF541SqADJ

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 3, 2022

Minaj had yet to comment on the sentencing at press time, but Maraj’s widow, Carol Maraj, who is suing Polevich over the crash, did not mince words. 

According to reporting from Newsday, she said Polevich had left her husband “like a dog on the street” and that sparing him a longer jail sentence was a “slap in the face for the family."