Ratings for the MTV VMAs may have fallen significantly, but the annual show still bore witness to notable moments. Here are five, just for you.
Kanye does what Kanye wants, and having been given four minutes of airtime to say anything he wished, Yeezus got into yet another speech that barely anyone understood. Still, the fans chanted “yeezy” like there was no tomorrow, and the rapper soaked in the adulation, returning the favor with the premiere of his “Fade” music video.
Coming away with two VMA wins for Best Female Video and Video of the Year, Queen B broke the record for bagging the most MTV awards to date, with her 21 wins surpassing Madonna’s tally of 20. Her performance arguably overshadowed everything else the VMAs had to offer this year, as she sang heartfelt lines from Lemonade, her latest album.
Arriving late for the show proved to be no deterrence for Drake, who gave a long speech prior to handing Rihanna her Video Vanguard award. Bringing up moments in the past, like the first time he met her over a decade ago, Drake got the audience roaring when he admitted that Riri’s “someone I’ve been in love with since I was 22 years old”. Drake went in for the kiss, but Rihanna had other plans, allowing him only a peck on the cheeks. Are they or are they not? We wonder.
With her ninth album released just days prior to the MTV VMAs, there was no better time for Britney Spears to make her return to the show. Proving the critics wrong, Britney gave one of her best performances to date, burying the demons from her past once and for all. Even the antics of rapper G-Eazy, who tried to cozy up to Britney in front of the live crowd, proved to be no challenge for the Princess of Pop, as she wisely — and smoothly — rejected his advances.
Remember the war face that the most decorated Olympian gave during the Rio 2016 Olympics? Phelps admitted that the song he was intensely focusing on was “Stick Talk” by Future.
“If there’s been one thing that’s been constant through my entire career, it’s the motivation and inspiration that I get from hip-hop,” said Phelps, who introduced the rapper up on stage. Now we know what to listen to when it’s game time.
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