The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, and now Nicki Minaj has joined the VMA lineup. The hip-hop superstar will open Sunday’s show.
Nicki is set to take the stage for the second year in a row with what’s being billed as a “jaw-dropping performance.” Just last year, she performed “Anaconda,” and joined Ariana Grande and Jessie J for a duet of their hit “Bang Bang.”
The performance comes on the heels for her “Pinkprint Tour,” which played sold out shows in Europe before landing in the U.S. this summer.
Her Minajesty is nominated in three categories including Best Female Video, Best Hip-Hop Video, and Best Collaboration, but her “Anaconda” video was excluded from the Video of the Year category, something she took issue with on Twitter.
“If I was a different ‘kind’ of artist, Anaconda would be nominated for best choreo and vid of the year as well,” she tweeted. “When the ‘other’ girls drop a video that breaks records and impacts culture they get that nomination.”
Other VMA performers include A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Demi Lovato, Tori Kelly, and Twenty One Pilots. Kanye West will receive the Video Vanguard Award.
