The MTV Video Music Awards returned to the Prudential Center in Newark on Tuesday night, as Nicki Minaj hosted a nearly four-hour show that brought together the members of ‘N Sync to present a Moon Person trophy to Taylor Swift (who directly to the boy band “I had your dolls”) and Sean Combs receiving a global icon award (and telling the crowd that his career had humble beginnings, as a paper boy). Brazilian pop star Anitta delivered one of the event’s most solid one-liners – “I want to thank myself for working so hard,” she said in an acceptance speech – which she also proved on stage with both a solo medley and a implement cooperation. with the K-pop group Tomorrow X Together. At the end of the evening, the following five moments stood out.
Most memorable performance: Doja Cat
One of pop-rap’s most unpredictable voices turned out the evening’s most polished and talked-about performance, capturing the fear of returning to the office in a look perhaps best described as “corporately sexual” as he surrounded is performed by dancers covered in creepy red paint. The audience looked confused and a little terrified as Doja Cat glided across the stage holding her marks, the calm in an increasingly frantic storm.
Most memorable fake-out: Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” video dramatizes an awards show performance gone wrong, and while the video has racked up 54 million views on YouTube, none apparently came from VMA audience members like Selena Gomez, who looked shocked when Rodrigo partially watched the clip Tuesday night made again. After the first part of the song, the lights seemingly burst on stage and a curtain fell as a ‘stage hand’ led the singer away – only to return seconds later, grinning and performing another song from her new album, ‘Guts ‘, the bouncy ‘Get Him Back! ”
Most memorable return that (probably) didn’t catch the FCC’s attention: Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s first television performance of their hit song “WAP” took place during the 2021 Grammys, and their lusty choreography caught the attention of more than 1,000 viewers who filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission, Rolling Stone reported. The duo reunited last week with a new collaboration called ‘Bongos’ and played it relatively safer on the VMA stage. The censors caught the most profanity, and the audience’s camera captured one of many images from the night of Swift dancing along.
Most memorable 10-minute performance with knives: Shakira
The Colombian pop star performed a mega medley to celebrate receiving the Video Vanguard award and didn’t appear to sing much live, but her lengthy song featured plenty of choreography, hair cutting, microphone stand throwing, guitar playing and a quick wardrobe change. , crowd surfing and an elevator that takes her high above the crowd. But a truly eye-popping moment came halfway through, when she wielded two knives, one of which dramatically grazed her torso before tossing them aside.
Most memorable flashback to MTV’s past: hip-hop anniversary medley
The Grammys went out big with a tribute to 50 years of hip-hop earlier this year, but MTV’s celebration of rap’s anniversary also had some highlights: After Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh gave the crowd a lesson on early in the genre, Minaj emerged with “Itty Bitty Piggy,” one of her beloved early mixtape tracks, and then reunited with her mentor Lil Wayne for “A Milli.” LL Cool J took the stage for two of his own songs, then went (shell) toe to toe with Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels on “Walk This Way.” (The performance largely disappeared from the 1990s, but Diddy’s eight-minute performance earlier in the evening was about that era.) It reminded us that MTV was once home to “Yo! MTV Raps,” and spent a lot more time on music.
