Rihanna is Michael Jackson Video Vanguard awardee

Here is a big announcement from MTV. This year’s MTV Video Music Awards will confer on pop star Rihanna the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

Local viewers can catch Rihanna’s special performance before and then the  ceremony itself on Monday, Aug. 29 at 9 a.m. hereabouts over MTV Pinoy. This will be held at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York. Rihanna has been chosen for the VMA’s highest honor for her impact on pop culture including music, fashion, film and philanthropy this past decade.

The Vanguard is MTV’s version of a Lifetime Achievement Award and also honors notable contributions to the music industry and music video production.  It was renamed for Michael Jackson after the death of the King of Pop in 1991. Some of the past Vanguard recipients are Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2, Janet Jackson, Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, REM, Duran Duran, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, LL Cool J, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N’ Roses, Beastie Boys, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé and last year’s Kanye West.

Rihanna is by far the youngest among them. She is only 28 years old and has been in the business for only 10 years. She is also the only fifth female act to be so honored in the Vanguard’s over 30 years’ history. In a way, I think it only right that she follows in the footsteps of Janet, Madonna, Britney and Beyoncé. You talk about impact, these females have made some of the biggest, the strongest and the most far-reaching ever in our time.

Rihanna was born and grew up in the Barbados. The product of a broken home, she was only 15 years old when she was discovered and brought to New York where she auditioned for the great producers and artists, Jay-Z and L.A. Reid. From then on, it was one huge success after another for this girl. First as a singer and songwriter then later on as a model, fashion designer and actress. Aside from always looking beautiful, there is obviously nothing she does not excel at. 

All that she has become though started with the music. She has sold over 215 million tracks worldwide and 61 million albums. As per Billboard Magazine, she is the Best Selling Digital Artist of All Time with more than 100 million Gold and Platinum song certifications from the RIAA. She also has eight Grammy Awards, 14 Billboard Music Awards as well as some VMAs, among other honors. And she gets fantastic sales whether she is going solo, collaborating, or as her latest album ANTI proved, even when going against the norm.

Some of her big-selling singles are Pon De Replay, SOS, Umbrella with Jay-Z, Shut Up And Drive, Don’t Stop The Music, Take A Bow, Disturbia, Live Your Life with T.I., Rude Boy with Jay-Z and Kanye West, Only Girl In The World, What’s My Name with Drake, S&M, Man Down, California King Bed, We Found Love, Where Have You Been? Diamonds, Stay Break It Off, Love The Way You Lie and Monster both with Eminem, with Sean Paul, Hate That I Love You with Ne-Yo, Work also with Drake, This Is What You Came For with Calvin Harris and others.

Rihanna was also named one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People and by Forbes Magazine as one of the world’s Most Powerful Celebrities. Acknowledged everywhere as a daring fashion visionary, she is a Lifetime Achievement Awardee as a Fashion Icon from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. She is also a force to reckon with in social media. As of now, she has 81 million Facebook fans, 64 million Twitter and 42 million Instagram followers. 

Then in the area of philanthropy, it is nice to know that Rihanna is also putting all her success and widespread influence to good use with her Clara Lionel Foundation.  Named after her grandparents, the foundation works to improve the quality of life in the areas of health, education, arts and culture for communities in need all over the world. This girl is a walking example of success on multiple levels and then she crowns everything with her philantropy. I say she is certainly most deserving of the Vanguard.