Beyoncè didn’t just take home a plethora of awards, she stole the show by performing several Lemonade tracks to raucous applause following a stunning, angelic entrance to the VMAs earlier in the evening.
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VMA organisers had announced only three hours before Sunday’s show began that Beyonce would perform.
Beyonce proved once again she is the contemporary rock star, and she used the MTV Video Music Awards stage to showcase her skills and outshine her peers, from Rihanna to Britney Spears. The best male video nominees are West, Drake, the Weeknd, Bryson Tiller and Calvin Harris, whose nomination is for “This is What You Came For”, which he co-wrote with former girlfriend Swift.
He joked that his “Famous” music video might lose to Beyonce Knowles later at the night, but he wouldn’t be upset because he always wanted Beyonce to win.
Rihanna began her opening number with “Don’t Stop the Music” before transitioning into fan favorite “Only Girl (In the World)”.
Kanye West spoke for more than six minutes before introducing a new video at the 2016 VMAs.
I see you Amber. West preceded the video with a rambling, improvised speech that touched on poverty, his wife Kim Kardashian, his long-running feud with Taylor Swift, and violence in black neighborhoods.
“All I can think of is my country, they’re gonna be so proud, this is the first Vanguard to land anywhere near my country”, she said. “That outfit she was wearing made her look like a banana”, one said.
Ariana Grande brought spin class to the VMA stage when she sang the reggae-tinged “Side to Side” with Nicki Minaj. “The rapper-singer-producer performed his hit “(Expletive) Up Some Commas”.
– Hip hop video: Drake, “Hotline Bling”. Puff Daddy, who presented the award, said Drake was stuck in traffic.
Finally, Jimmy Fallon impersonated swimmer Ryan Lochte, making false claims on his musical accomplishments – a reference to the accusation that Lochte filed a false robbery report while in Rio.
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Song of the summer: Fifth Harmony, “All in My Head (Flex)”.
