With the dress, Minaj switched up her hair, which was a bright pink color most of the night.

She took the stage in a long, jet black wig with blunt bangs. The hair was ironed bone straight and was extremely long, stretching down to her thighs.

The sleeveless Cavalli dress is from the designer’s Resort 2023 Womenswear Collection and cropped below her knees.

It boasted lace-up side cutouts that bared the curvy entertainer’s smooth and radiant skin.

In her impassioned speech, Minaj said, ‘I wrote this down. I don’t know why, but this was in my spirit to say: I wish that Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were here.’

As she tearfully accepted the renowned award, which was named after the late Jackson, she added, ‘I wish that people understood what they meant and what they were going through.’

Then she named other artists who died prematurely. ‘I wish Pop Smoke and Juice Wrld and Nipsey Hussle were here,’ she continued.

Nicki also gave a quick shoutout to her father, Robert Maraj, who died suddenly when he was struck by a car in February 2021.

She also named ‘my cousin Richard, and my business manager Angela, who I never got to say “rest in peace” to publicly.’

‘I wish that people took mental health seriously—even for the people that you think have the perfect lives,’ she told the audience.

The rest of her speech was more joyful, as she made sure to give praise to her influences, other artists in the music industry.

Among them was Lil Wayne, Foxy Brown, Jay-Z, and Lauryn Hill. Expressing gratitude, Minaj thanked Kanye West, Beyoncé, Madonna, Eminem, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Drake for their collaborations.

Nicki, a mother-of-one, also name dropped her young son, almost two, whom she’s only ever referred to as Papa Bear.

After performing a showstopping medley of her greatest hits, Nicki took the stage once again to accept her career milestone.

She was clad in a custom, asymmetrical Dolce & Gabbana dress with stone detailing at the bodice.

Her full look was styled by DiAndre Tristan and she finished the look with a pair of sparkly Christian Louboutin heels.

The rapper wore a bright pink wig that featured a high fountain ponytail that cascaded around her face in soft waves.