Because you don't have three hours to go back and watch it all again.
This past Sunday night (Aug. 28), the MTV Video Music Awards took over Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City. A plethora of celebrities graced the white carpet and watched their stock exponentially increase with every flicker of a paparazzi camera. The star-studded atmosphere included the likes of Beyonce, Drake, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, and more. With the show once again exceeding expectations, we handpicked the cream of the crop moments from last night's festivities.
VMA Sistas
In 2014, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj tag-teamed for their performance of "Bang Bang." This time around, they reunited for a very steamy performance of "Side to Side" in which both artists worked up a sweat. Grande flawlessly flexed her vocal muscles, while Nicki's bodacious curves caused a massive earthquake on stage. Ain't nothing sexier than watching two gorgeous women beam with confidence on stage.
Future Hendrix is a Rock Star
Super Future took a quick break from his Summer 16 Tour with Drake to hit the stage at the VMAs and performed "Commas." With a band behind him and dancers donning nothing but all red, Super delivered an electrifying performance that pumped up the entire crowd. It’s safe to say that at this juncture of his career, that Future is a marquee artist, for sure.
Alicia Keys Pays Respect
The R&B songbird pulled heart strings when she performed a touching poem while paying homage to Martin Luther King Jr. This past Sunday served as the 53rd anniversary of when Martin Luther King Jr. recited his illustrious "I Have a Dream" speech. Barefaced and all, Alicia illuminated the stage with her passion-filled words and powerful vocals.
Kanye is Still the Voice of the People
For the second year in a row, Kanye delivered a rousing speech after MTV gave him the opportunity to do whatever he wanted for four minutes. Once again, Kanye's candor and pretentiousness was on display for everyone to see. This time around, he tackled touchy subjects like Ray J, his beef with Taylor Swift, the pointless murders in Chicago, and why he's among of the most vital innovators in history. His speech proved why we need to really consider Kanye for a 2020 campaign.
The Legend of RiRi
Vanguard recipient Rihanna opened the VMAs and performed a medley of bangers including "Don't Stop The Music", "We Found Love", and "Only Girl." The second time around, she delivered a scorching island mix of "Rude Boy", "What's My Name" and "Work.” During that segment of the performance, she flipped the VMAs stage into her personal house party. For performance number three, she delivered a thunderous medley of "Needed Me", "Pour It Up", and "B*tch Better Have My Money." It was a sheer exhibition of excellence and pure artistry on her end. Finally, she concluded her string of performances with strong ballads of "Stay" and "Love on the Brain." After initially being dubbed a no-show, Drake popped out at the end of the show to hand Rihanna her Vanguard award while also professing his love for her.
Teyana Taylor is the Ultimate MILF
Just when you thought Kim Kardashian-West was the quintessential definition of a MILF, Teyana Taylor quashed those claims with her rock-solid abs and massive booty. Say what you want to say about Kanye West's "Fade" video, and whether it was a borderline softcore flick, but Teyana Taylor demolished the Internet in a matter of three minutes. Iman Shumpert, you totally are the real winner at this thing called life.
Beyonce Still Runs the World
Toward the latter part of the afternoon, in typical Beyonce fashion, she surprised everyone when she revealed her intention to perform at the VMAs. She gave the fans a small serving size of her thirst-quenching album Lemonade. First, she captivated the crowd with a chilling performance of "Pray You Catch Me", where angels surrounded her on the stage. Then, she switched up the pace and cracked a camera screen with her signature baseball bat from her video "Hold Up." After that, the venerable singer jumped into her unapologetic banger "Sorry." Her swagger was cranked all the way up when she jumped into "Don't Hurt Yourself" and "Formation." You would have thought you walked into a Beyonce concert, because she gave everyone in attendance a 5-song concert.
