11 Of Nicki Minaj’s Most Talked-About VMAs Moments Ever

Nicki Minaj made her VMAs debut in 2010 when she was nominated for Best New Artist (the category Justin Bieber won that year). It was the birth of her signature bright pink wig look, prompting her legion of fans to become known as “Barbz,” in reference to Barbie.

In 2011, Minaj wore a fashionable mask on the red carpet long before it would become an everyday accessory for the rest of us. She won Best Hip-Hop Video for “Super Bass” — her first VMAs win.

For the first time, Minaj performed on the VMAs stage in 2012 with a vocal assist from Alicia Keys. Minaj also won Best Female Video for “Starships.”

In 2014, Nicki performed three songs, the first of which was her hit single “Anaconda.”

While performing “Bang Bang” with Jessie J and Ariana Grande for the first ever time together, Minaj suffered a wardrobe malfunction. Minaj later told Ellen DeGeneres that she “didn't want to ruin the shot” by wearing her green “Anaconda” outfit but ultimately ended up “butt-*ss naked.”

Minaj got into her first VMAs beef in 2015 with host Miley Cyrus after Cyrus commented on Minaj’s complaints about “Anaconda” not getting a Video of the Year nomination. When Minaj got up to accept the award for Best Hip-Hop Video, she clapped back at Cyrus. “And now back to this b*tch that had a lot to say about me in the press … Miley, what’s good?” A meme was born.

In 2015, Minaj also performed with Taylor Swift, surprising viewers since Swift was one of the people she was frustrated got a nomination over her. They performed “Bad Blood,” a nod to the feud they had but subsequently patched up.

In 2016, Minaj lit up the stage in matching pink outfits with Ariana Grande for a performance of “Side to Side.”

She kept the iconic collabs coming in 2017, when she teamed up with Katy Perry for “Swish Swish.”

In her last VMAs performance to date in 2018, Minaj took the stage in a pre-recorded performance of her songs “Majesty,” “Barbie Dreams,” “Ganja Burn,” and “FEFE.”

The “Super Freaky Girl” singer pulled out of her 2021 appearance at the show, but Minaj is back in 2022 to perform, co-host alongside Jack Harlow and LL Cool J, as well as accept the Video Vanguard Award.