Lil’ Kim fans wonder when the rapper will receive her rightful recognition in the music industry after another notable celebrity took home the MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. 

This honor at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards celebrates an artist’s contribution to music videos and music culture. Shakira was the recipient of this year’s award for her successful videography skills in music. 

Shakira has been in the industry for nearly three decades, but many social media users believe that the “Big Momma Thang” artist was more than deserving of the award. 

“Not giving Lil Kim the Vanguard on the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop? #VMAs.” 

“Lil Kim really should’ve gotten Video Vanguard Award this year.”

“Lil Kim the f——g LEGEND you are!!! did not even attend the #VMAs and still the topic of conversation!! ‘All this petty chitter chatter only makes my pockets fatter!’ – @lilkim.” 

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“Yep. This would have been the appropriate year. As a matter of fact, Lil’ Kim should have gotten this award before Nicki Minaj.”

Minaj, who happened to be the host of this year’s annual award show, won the Vanguard Video award during the 2022 VMA show.

While many were outraged by Shakira’s win, several individuals mentioned that the Vanguard Award was created to highlight iconic music videos, suggesting that Lil Kim’ lacked creative inspiration. 

One said, “She got like two maybe three iconic videos. Why would they give it to her?” 

Another added, “It’s a VIDEO vanguard award. I mean no shade but seriously how many iconic VIDEOS does Lil Kim have? Serious question!” 

Despite naysayers, the Grammy-winning artist has definitely shaped hip-hop culture with her sharp lyricism and innovative music videos. A few memorable picks include “The Jump Off,” “No Matter What They Say,” “How Many Licks,” and “No Time.”

While none of the songs won any big-time awards, these tunes along with their unforgettable music videos helped stamp Lil’ Kim’s talent in the rap industry as a prominent and influential artist.

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Fashion designer Lewis Beilharz even paid homage to Lil’ Kim’s music video “Crush On You” while showcasing his recent collection during New York Fashion Week. Throughout his show, models worked the runway sporting a variation of colored wigs and outfits that resembled the different hairstyles and iconic looks Kim rocked in the 1996 video. 

In his explanation on Instagram, Beilharz wrote, “This collection was an avant-garde street wear collection, celebrating art and giving particular homage to the blue print , and the original queen B @lilkimthequeenbee . Love you and have a forever crush on you ! Shall we proceed ? (Working together ?) yes indeed !!”

“Crush On You” also inspired the popular TikTok trend back in 2020, where women would showcase their hair and makeup skills by sporting different looks while lip-synching her lyrics.

As proof of her impact, Lil’ Kim took home BET’s “I Am Hip Hop” award in 2019 for serving as a pioneer and trailblazer for other female rappers to lyrically showcase their ability in an already male-dominated industry.