While the 2015 VMA's had its share of fireworks, it was quite the vanilla affair. Hip-hop was scarcely represented -- save for an A$AP Rocky/21 Pilots collaboration and a live performance of Macklemore's "Downtown" (apparently much to Kanye's dismay). However, even the latter joint is more of a pop record, though it was cool to see hip-hop pioneers Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz get some face time. But clearly something has gone awry when Kendrick Lamar fails to win a single Moonman, and Jay Z, Beyonce and a host of other big timers don't even show up. Well, at least we found out who we're voting for in 2020. More on that later.
The following is a list of our top 10 moments from this year's VMA's. Keep in mind that some of these are "bottom" moments, but so hilariously bad that we had to include them.
Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift make amends
The show started with a bang, as Nicki Minaj and T-Swizzle buried the hatchet and performed together on-stage. Their so-called Twitter "beef" was most likely staged to boost MTV's ratings, but nevertheless it was a pretty entertaining performance. Also, Nicki sat on a throne made of men in tribal attire, which was somewhat dehumanizing but leastwise avant-garde.
The Weeknd delivers a fire performance
In what might have been the best performance of the night, The Weeknd gave a mostly-backing-vocal-free rendition of "Can't Feel My Face" that straight killed. What's more is, he managed to sing and dance while flames were spewing out from every direction. He might sound a little like Michael, but his hair catching fire would not be a good look.
A$AP Rocky joins forces with 21 Pilots
A$AP Rocky and 21 Pilots teaming up wasn't spectacular, but their set definitely had a grassroots, raw hip-hop feel -- a welcome deviation from the night's pop-heavy lineup. These K-Dot/Imagine Dragons-esque mashups are becoming the norm at awards shows and we're looking forward to the next unlikely combination to hit the stage.
Let it all out, Biebs
Call us cynical and cruel, but Justin Bieber's breakdown at the end of his set just felt a little Hollywood-y and staged, like many other VMA moments. Then again, Miley Cyrus seemed to be caught off guard by his intense feels, so who knows? In any case, it's difficult to take the Biebs seriously after all of his shenanigans, which makes this face-palmingly funny.
Rapper sleepovers are the new hype
Miley's Instagram bit was weak and the skit with Snoop was okay, but her rapper sleepover sketch featuring Tyga and Mike WiLL Made It was actually pretty dope. We didn't know this before, but apparently rappers have sleepovers "when [they] feel uncomfortable about things." Watching them use a Ouija board to find Biggie Smalls' killers and Mike WiLL's hilariously bad acting made this one a gas.
Gettin' Iggy with it? Nuh uh
Iggy Azalea is not cool for the summer -- nor winter, nor spring, nor fall. In fact, her uncoolness was on full display during Demi Lovato's set; which was actually going quite swimmingly, until Iggy suddenly appeared like a haunting apparition from the depths of crappy music-dom. It's usually tough to decipher her lyrics live, but her seemingly low mic levels only added to the painful-to-watch ordeal. Someone give that sound engineer a dap and some brew.
Where's the beef?
Well, here's some more artificial beef that MTV probably threw in as media fodder, but it was fun to watch at the time. Nicki Minaj, while in the midst of her acceptance speech, quickly transitioned into beast mode and called out Miley for her comments earlier in the week. However, Nicki's momentary grin mid-outburst assured there was no actual squabble taking place.
VMA's = TSVMA's
How ironic is it, that on the very night Taylor Swift presents Kanye West with the Vanguard Award -- in itself a symbolic and meta gesture after their infamous 2009 debacle -- Tay Tay happens to beat out Beyonce (again) for Video of the Year, the very reason Yeezy stormed the stage six years prior? Not to mention, she also topped 'Yonce in the Best Female Video category. The Bey Hive is fuming right now.
The not-so-grand finale
Miley Cyrus was actually doing pretty well hosting the VMAs; her outfits were insane, there was no bootyless twerking in sight, and the only thing that slipped was her nipple. But then came the finale, where her performance was basically just a flurry of colorful costumes and contrived declarations of youthful rebellion. Oh, you "smoke pot"? Awesome. So does everyone else. It's 2015. That surprise album drop was dope though.
#VoteForKanye
By now, most of you have seen Kanye West's latest rant that will dominate the Twittersphere for at least the next couple of days. Before his speech begins, the crowd roars with a lengthy applause, some even chanting "Yeezus! Yeezus! Yeezus!" for a short while. Then, Yeezus delivers a convoluted address that lacks direction, which is further exacerbated by his barrage of lengthy silences. However, his final point is all that matters: "Kanye To The" is running for president in 2020 (we hope).
If he does hit the campaign trail in five years, his slogan is clear -- "LISTEN TO THE YOUTH!"