This past Sunday, the VMAs (aka everyone’s favorite award show) broadcasted its annual antics to TV screens all across America. Though nothing will every top the infamous “I’mma let you finish” Kanye West/Taylor Swift debacle from 2009, this year’s show had more than a few iconic moments of its own.
1. Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj get the crowd going from “Side to Side.”
Ever since Jessie J’s hit “Bang Bang” graced us with the featured vocals of Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, I’ve been on #TeamGranaj— a portmanteau that I just now made up. Take it or leave it.
Grande started her performance on an exercise bike, but if you weren’t looking, you really wouldn’t have noticed considering the fact that she was still beautifully belting out the words to “Side To Side.” In comes Nicki Minaj being the boss that she is and joins Grande on stage, creating a fun, feel-good vibe.
2. Alicia Keys honors Martin Luther King, Jr.
One of the more touching moments of the night was when Alicia Keys took center stage in her home state to pay tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. It marked the 53rd anniversary of his famous “I Have A Dream” speech, so it was only right that Keys honored him with a powerful poem. If you felt chills during this moment, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
3. Michael Phelps reveals the #PhelpsFace details and records “Lochte.”
Michael Phelps certainly wasn’t a fish out of water amid all of the celebrities. (Ha, see what I did there?) When introducing Future, he revealed that his #PhelpsFace that went viral during the Olympics happened because he was getting pumped to Future’s song “Stick Talk.” So, Phelps is a Future fan? Good to know.
But his real shining moment came not when he was on stage, but when Jimmy Fallon came out as Ryan Lochte. With the biggest smile on his face, Phelps did what any of us non-gold medal wielding normies would have done: he pulled out his phone and documented one of the most awkwardly hilarious moments of the night. He probably watches that on his phone when he has some down time for entertainment. Just a thought.
4. It’s Britney, B****. You know the rest.
We got a major dose of nostalgia when Britney Spears made her VMAs comeback by performing her newest single, “Make Me…” It’s been 17 years since her first performance at the VMAs, and she’s proven now more than ever that despite all she went through, she still looks darn good.
To spice things up, she brought G-Eazy out onto the stage, and things got pretty cozy.
Oh, yeah. Still got it.
5. Kanye declares Kanye his role model.
When MTV announced that Kanye West would be getting four minutes to literally just talk, a lot of people didn’t know what to expect. What we ended up listening to was semi-inspiring, semi-confusing or semi-unamusing, depending on how you feel about the rapper. But, it was totally, well, Kanye, because Kanye is the only word that can fully describe Kanye. After expressing his love for people, he dubbed himself one of his own role models, along with Truman, Ford, Hughes, Disney and Jobs. How Kanye of him.
6. Beyoncé slays everyone with an epic performance.
Bow. Down. Queen Bey showed up, showed out and dominated the show with a 16-minute performance that left everyone stunned, amazed and in pure awe. She came out looking fierce, set the stage ablaze, changed her wardrobe who knows how many times right before our very eyes and reenacted one of our favorite ‘Lemonade’ moments by smashing the camera with her bat— presumably Hot Sauce. NBD. She racked up eight awards: “Best Female Video,” “Best Pop Video,” “Breakthrough Long Form Video,” “Best Choreography,” “Best Editing,” “Best Cinematography,” “Best Direction” and “Video of the Year.” She now has 24 VMAs, breaking Madonna’s record of 20. On stage, she was so spectacular that I can’t even truly encompass her performance with words. Just watch the gifs, guys… just watch the gifs.
7. RiRi takes us through time.
Yes, we may still be picking up our jaws from the ground from Beyoncé’s performance, but we have to give it up for the one of the biggest winners of the night: Rihanna. The evolution of the pop star/fashion icon/fashion designer has been quite phenomenal. She’s come a long way from being the “Pon De Replay” girl 11 years ago. This year at the VMAs, she reminded us why she’s in fact very deserving of the “Video Vanguard” award. Throughout the show, she took us through time as she performed some of her most famous hits, including “Don’t Stop the Music,” “We Found Love,” “What’s My Name,” “Work,” “Pour It Up,” “B**** Better Have My Money,” “Stay,” “Diamonds” and “Love On the Brain.” Those weren’t even all of the songs she sang, either. We’re totally fine with that, though. Near the end, Drake, who was presenting Rihanna with the award, poured his heart out to the singer (right before she curved his kiss, but that’s a different topic for a different day). Like Yoncé’s performance, Rihanna’s honorable night is best summed up with gifs. Observe: