NEWARK, New Jersey, United States (Reuters) — Rihanna will receive MTV’s lifetime achievement award at the Aug. 28 Video Music Awards (VMA) show, MTV said on Thursday (August 11), joining the likes of Kanye West, Madonna and Beyonce.
The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award is considered the highest honor in the video music industry, and reflects an artist’s impact not just on music but on pop culture, fashion, film and philanthropy.
Rihanna has twice won the coveted video of the year at the MTV ceremony and is an eight-time Grammy winner with more than 61 million albums sold. The “Umbrella” singer also set up the Clara Lionel Foundation, which works to improve health and cultural services in her home of Barbados and beyond.
Rihanna will perform at the ceremony in New York, where she is nominated for four VMA’s for her song “Work” with Canadian rapper Drake, and her collaboration with Calvin Harris on “This is What You Came For.”