Busta Rhymes and Ricky Martin Are About to Make MTV VMA History 🎤🌎

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards are officially serving up a little history with a side of nostalgia. Two music legends are being honoured with brand-new awards — and yes, they’ll also hit the stage to remind us why they’re icons in the first place.

Busta Rhymes: The Rap Visionary with More Rhymes Than Tim Hortons Has Timbits

Busta Rhymes is getting the first-ever Rock the Bells Visionary Award — a nod to his boundary-breaking cultural impact and the fact that he’s basically been rapping at warp speed since the late ’90s.

His first VMAs performance was way back in 1997, and he’s about to prove he’s still got it when he takes the stage again this September. Honestly, someone check if his lungs are insured, because no one spits bars faster.

Ricky Martin: The Original Latin Pop King Still Livin’ la Vida Icon

Ricky Martin will be honoured with the Latin Icon Award — the inaugural one, no less. The man who gave us Livin’ la Vida Loca and basically made hips a global language has been shaking up the VMAs since his debut performance in 1999.

With a four-decade career that pushed Latin music into the mainstream, it’s about time MTV gave him his flowers (and a shiny moon person to match). And yes, he’ll also perform, which means we’ll all be dancing in our living rooms like it’s 1999 again.

RELATED: Lady Gaga Leads 2025 MTV VMAs Nominations with 12 — Ending Taylor Swift’s Streak 🎤🏆

When and Where to Watch

The 2025 VMAs go down on September 7th at 8 p.m. ET, live from the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York. Mark your calendars, stock up on snacks, and prepare for at least three awkward cutaways to Taylor Swift singing along in the audience.

👉 So this year’s VMAs aren’t just about who wore what or who shaded who on stage — it’s about celebrating legends. And honestly? We’re here for it.