It’s Barbie, bitch, if you still in doubt.
Nicki Minaj reunited with Lil Wayne onstage during an epic performance to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday.
The Young Money collaborators joined DMC, Doug E. Fresh, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, LL Cool J to perform a medley of rap songs at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Minaj — the night’s host — looked sensational in a red bodysuit as she performed “Itty Bitty Piggy” and “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” before she brought out Wayne, 40, to perform his hit track “A Milli.”
The “Super Bass” rapper, 40, had previously taken the stage earlier in the night for a solo performance of “Last Time I Saw You” and an unreleased song from her upcoming album “Pink Friday 2.”
“I’m on a whole ‘nother level, these bitches ain’t better than me,” she rapped to the audience.
“You bitches look up to me. You say you look up to her, but really you look up to me!”
“Super Freaky Girl” also nabbed the trophy for Best Hip-Hop Video, which the mom of one previously won four times — more than anyone else in the award show’s history.
She had a heartfelt message for her loyal fans while accepting the award.
“So often I joke around and play around and stuff … but this morning when I woke up I had this really strong sense of gratitude,” she said.
“So I just want to say, I thank you guys, the people who go out and support, the people who never skip a beat on the internet, holding us down. I wanna just thank you guys.”
She then switched gears by asking the crowd, “Should I be mean right now or should I be nice?”
Minaj then yelled, “It’s Barbie, biiiitch!”
She was nominated for a total of six awards this year, including Video of the Year (“Super Freaky Girl”), Artist of the Year and Song of Summer (“Barbie World” with Ice Spice).
Last year, the rapper, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj, emceed the VMAs alongside Jack Harlow and LL Cool J.
She also took the stage to perform a medley of her hit songs, including “Anaconda,” “Super Bass,” “Roman’s Revenge,” “Moment 4 Life” and “Beez in the Trap,” before accepting the coveted Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
While accepting the prestigious honor alongside some members of her fan base, nicknamed the Barbz, Minaj spoke about the deaths of musical legends Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.
“I wish people understood what they meant and were going through,” she shared at the time. “I wish people took mental health seriously.”
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The hip-hop icon also honored other fallen rappers such as Pop Smoke, Nipsey Hussle and Juice WRLD before talking about her own losses, including the death of her dad, Robert Maraj, who was killed in a hit-and-run in February 2021.
Minaj then thanked her fans for supporting her throughout her career. She concluded her speech by shouting out her 2-year-old son, nicknamed “Papa Bear,” whom she shares with her husband, Kenneth Petty.
The Grammy nominee is currently gearing up to release her fifth studio album, “Pink Friday 2,” which is set to hit streaming platforms on Nov. 17.
Minaj recently teased that the upcoming project is “going to be the best album that’s been released in years.”
