Nicki Minaj has now been confirmed to open the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) this Sunday. The singer announced the news herself in an Instagram post.
Both confirming her appearance and teasing about rumors of a bun in the oven with boyfriend Meek Mill, Minaj posted a photo of a sonogram that featured an astronaut floating in the womb with an MTV flag.
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MTV has already confirmed a number of performers for the event, including Justin Bieber, The Weeknd (who will do his first live performance of the hit song I Can’t Feel My Face), Pharrell Williams, Demi Lovato, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, A$AS Rocky, and Twenty One Pilots.
This year’s show is bound to be a bumpy ride. Miley Cyrus, who famously brought attention to the show back in 2013 with her sexed up twerking alongside Robin Thicke with an oversized foam finger, will serve as host. And Kanye West will be receiving the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
Minaj publicly expressed her displeasure when the video for her song Anaconda was not nominated for Video of the Year, suggesting that only white girls with thin bodies are celebrated. This led to a Twitter feud of sorts with Taylor Swift, who felt the comment was directed at her – the only white female nominee in the category. Adding to the awkwardness, Cyrus later added her two cents, accusing Minaj of not making it about race, but just about herself. It will be interesting to see the camera pan to Minaj should Swift take home an award.
The VMAs will air this Sunday, August 30. Seth Rogen reportedly wrote the opening skit for Cyrus, which, the actress and singer confirmed to Rolling Stone, would not make mention of the much-talked-about 2013 performance. Given that the event will be broadcast live, though, things could get interesting.
