“So I was speaking at the Art Institute a year ago and one kid came up to me and said ‘Three of my friends died and I don’t know if I’m going to be next.’ If you’re seeing people dying next to you you might think, what’s the point?” She was wearing white, but later stripped down to a black leotard with full sleeves as she sang “Hold Up” and “Sorry“. She grew angry and twerked while performing “Don’t Hurt Yourself” and ended with the anthemic “Formation”. “There’s less than ten that I can name in history”, he said. Presented at Madison Square Garden, musicians paid tribute to the Big Apple by making New York City a symbol for home.
Advertisement
As for individual moments, Beyoncé’s completion of her Lemonade medley rose above Kanye West’s new video for Fade, Rihanna’s acceptance of the Vanguard Award, Kanye’s speech, and Rihanna’s second performance, in that order.
The Canadian rapper told the crowd that he had been in love with RiRi since he was 22 years old before praising her talents in the industry.
In one of the night’s most anticipated moments, rap superstar Kanye West – who past year used the occasion to declare his intention to run for president in 2020 – delivered a almost stream-of-consciousness speech about empowerment. While many praised her for throwing her all into the performance, others blasted her for so clearly lip syncing to the song. She kicked off the show with “We Found Love” and “Only Girl (In The World)”. “PEACE. LOVE.” while another added: “wait so I can listen to 1989 guilt free again”. “Have a handsome night”. He did, of course, try and be the MVP as much as possible and rambled (in true Kanye fashion) on subjects from music to his beef with Taylor Swift to violence in his hometown Chicago. This time, though, there’s speculation that Kanye West might have something to do with Kim Kardashian’s blonde hair, as he’s often shown a preference for her lighter locks in the past.
Jimmy Fallon, who presented video of the year, dressed up as Ryan Lochte and even sported the swimmer’s platinum blonde hair.
He concluded before breaking into song: “Tonight, we’re here to have fun!” Like, bro, I love all y’all.
Advertisement
She also noted that while her success “started as my dream”, now “it is not my own”. Take, tell Taylor this. “That’s why I called her”, said Kanye.
