On Monday night, Jennifer Lopez became the first Latina recipient of the MTV Video Music Awards’ lifetime achievement award, the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, arguably the only VMA worth caring about. And to mark the occasion, she performed an extraordinarily comprehensive medley of her most famous songs. These spanned from her earliest hits, like “Waiting for Tonight,” to her most recent single, “Dinero,” for which she won the award for Best Collaboration with DJ Khaled and Cardi B later in the night. As Cardi correctly observed in their acceptance speech, ”Bronx bitches is poppin’.”
Lopez’s 10-minute, nostalgia-heavy performance included multiple costume changes and an appearance from Ja Rule, who joined Lopez for their collaborations “I’m Real” and “Ain’t It Funny.”
After powering through “On the Floor,” “Jenny From the Block,” and more of her most recognizable songs, Lopez accepted the award itself, saying in her speech that she “grew up on MTV.” In addition to shouting out her parents, siblings, kids, and significant other—Alex Rodriguez, who had his phone in hand to tape the performance— Lopez also thanked the directors she’s collaborated with over the years, calling out Francis Lawrence, Dave Meyers, Paul Hunter, Jessy Terrero, and Joseph Camp by name. “Thank you for listening to a little girl who had crazy ideas.”
