Singing megastar Taylor Swift and rapper Lil Nas X were once again, the big winners at the 2022 MTV Music Awards while Nicki Minaj earned a career achievement award for her body of music,
One of the evening’s biggest highlights came when Minaj won the treasured Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for creating a cadre of critically-acclaimed short films. The “Moment 4 Life” rapper has garnered 17 VMA nominations and launched into her spotlight performance on Sunday night with a medley of hits including “Super Bass” and her latest smash hit, “Super Freaky Girl.”
While she accepted her career award, Minaj took a moment to give shoutouts to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston while imploring fans to tend to their mental health. Both Jackson and Houston were famously embroiled in debilitating mental situations before their premature passings.
“I wish people took mental health seriously, even for those who seem to have perfect lives,” Minaj said of the late music megastars.
Take a look at the winners of the 2022 MTV MVAs, according to mtv.com:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Taylor Swift — “All Too Well”
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Bad Bunny
SONG OF THE YEAR
Billie Eilish — “Happier Than Ever”
BEST NEW ARTIST
Dove Cameron — Disruptor Records / Columbia Records
BEST COLLABORATION
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow — “INDUSTRY BABY”
BEST POP
Harry Styles — “As It Was”
BEST HIP-HOP
Records *WINNER
BEST ROCK
Red Hot Chili Peppers — “Black Summer”
BEST ALTERNATIVE
Måneskin — “I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE”
BEST LATIN
Anitta — “Envolver”
BEST R&B
The Weeknd — “Out Of Time”
VIDEO FOR GOOD
Lizzo — “About Damn Time”
BEST METAVERSE PERFORMANCE
BLACKPINK The Virtual
BEST LONGFORM VIDEO
Taylor Swift — “All Too Well”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Harry Styles — “As It Was”
BEST DIRECTION
Taylor Swift — “All Too Well”
BEST ART DIRECTION
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow — “INDUSTRY BABY”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow — “INDUSTRY BABY”
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Doja Cat — “Woman”
BEST EDITING
ROSALÍA — “SAOKO”
GROUP OF THE YEAR
BTS
SONG OF THE SUMMER
Jack Harlow — “First Class”
