6 moments from MTV's VMAs
1. Beyonce announced her pregnancy
Beyonce followed her performance of Love On Top with the unprecedented news that she was expecting. This was met with inevitable uproar from the VMA crowd, including Jay-Z and Kanye West’s triumphant reaction in full view of the MTV cameras, and resulted in one of the most tweeted moment in human history.
2. Kreayshawn, Rick Ross and respective entourages clashed following series of disses
The mounting tension between the two rappers instigated by an offhand freestyle diss by Kreayshawn on Cosmic Kev’s radio show reached breaking point backstage as the rappers’ camps got into an altercation, captured by messy camerawork which just about caught Rick Ross in the fray looking unsettlingly deadpan. Kreayshawn, mic in hand, suddenly turned to the camera at the fringe of the group, declaring: “Nobody likes Kreayshawn! But it’s okay… we all have fun out here.” She later added: “It’s getting a little too serious though…”
3. Tyler, The Creator won first official accolade with Best New Artist, fell into Kanye’s arms backstage
Arguably the most hyped artist of the first half of the year, Odd Future ringleader Tyler finally received official recognition for his recent output, largely on the strength of his Yonkers video. His victory announced by Selena Gomez, Tyler darted onstage in an ill-fitting tie-dye shirt, limping from his recent leg injury, accompanied by the entire Odd Future collective. His incredibly expressive face for once left blank with incredulity, he stumbled into a stuttering impromptu speech which shouted out the still-missing Earl Sweatshirt and verged on inspirational as he said “to all the kids watching: you can do this shit.” Interviewed backstage afterwards, Tyler recounted how the “tears came out and I fell offstage into Kanye’s arms.”
4. Lady Gaga attended under her ‘Jo Calderone’ alter-ego guise
Lady Gaga decided to come to the VMAs as Jo Calderone, a Danny Zuko-esque character of Gaga’s own creation. As Jo, she weaved a story of his and Gaga’s failed relationship before breaking into Me and Yoü in full character.
5. Kanye West & Jay-Z performed Otis
Strutting through a fire-spewing dome at the back of the stage, the hip-hop luminaries performed their single with energy and animation. Their combined egotism radiated throughout the entire building and made for a captivating performance, with Jay’s measured restraint playing off Kanye’s kinetic enthusiasm in a way that recalls the two’s chemistry that’s been present since Kanye’s ‘College Dropout’ days.
6. Will Ferrell, Jack Black & Seth Rogen reprised roles as ‘Future Beastie Boys’, challenged Odd Future to dance-off onstage
To present the award for Best Hip-Hop Video, comedy superstars Black, Ferrell and Rogen took the stage portraying the Beastie Boys of the future as in the Beasties’ feature-length ‘Make Some Noise’ video. Clad in the same oddly-proportioned outfits as in the video, they engaged in some flamboyant hip-hop posturing before being joined onstage by Tyler, The Creator’s group Odd Future and the subsequent dance-off resulted in a very one-sided Odd Future victory.
