Nicki Minaj was one of the evening’s brightest stars at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

Mrs. Petty was booked and busy last night, from hosting the event to performing and accepting two awards, including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

But, according to her speech, her devoted fans, the Barbz, stole the show for a while during the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

Nicki kicked off her 10-minute all-hit medley with “All Things Go,” then “Roman’s Revenge” and her iconic verse in Kanye West’s “Monster,” which Adele famously memorized.

She then sang “Beez in the Trap,” followed by her fan-favorite verse in “Queen’s” “Chun-Li.”

Right before everyone was jamming to “Super Bass,” which even got Taylor Swift dancing up her feet, a small verse of her ballad “Moment 4 Life” was also featured. Nicki took a break as her dancers twerked to “Anaconda” before finishing the set with her current Hot 100 leader, “Super Freaky Girl.”

According to Nicki Minaj’s candid speech last night, her fans, dubbed “Barbz” by the music and entertainment industries, were critical to the success of the rap royalty’s music career.

After performing her massive hits in a career-spanning medley, MTV enlisted the help of five Barbz to present Nicki Minaj with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, which is quite fitting given Barbz’s recent efforts.

Barbz Carson, Shy, and Mike were among the five lucky Barbz chosen to present Nicki Minaj with the Video Vanguard Moonman.

Nicki thanked rap legends Lil Wayne, Foxy Brown, Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, Slick Rick, and Dougie Fresh in her candid and heartfelt speech.

Nicki then thanked Kanye West, Beyonce, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Eminem, Britney Spears, and Rihanna for opening doors for her in the music industry. Drake, with whom she recently shared the stage in Toronto at the Young Money concert, was also mentioned in the speech.

Nicki Minaj stated:

“I wish that Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson was here. I wish that people meant and what they’re going through. I wish people took mental health seriously, even for the people who you think have the perfect lives. I wish Pop Smoke, and JUICE Wrld, and Nipsey Hussle was here.”

Her speech continued for a few more minutes, and MTV strummed their infamous music roll, signaling awardees to conclude their remarks, but Nicki pulled a Whitney and asked everyone to wait for her to thank the Barbz.

Nicki Minaj was also honored with a Moonman Award for Best Hip-Hop Video for her collaboration with Lil Baby on “Do We Have A Problem.”