The 2014 MTV Video Music Award went down in Inglewood, California yesterday (24 August), with Queen Bey owning the night. Taking home three awards she was presented with the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award – given to her by Jay-Z and their daughter Blu Ivy. Breaking Justin Timberlake’s 2013 record for the longest VMA performance ever, Beyonce performed 12 tracks in one outstanding live performance. Other live performers included Ariana Grande (aka Mrs Big Sean), Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Usher, Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora and more.
Before introducing the award for Best Hip Hop Video, rapper Common asked the audience for a moment of silence to mark the events taking place in Ferguson, Missouri, where black residents are protesting against the killing of innocent people by the police, most recently the high profiled case of the late Michael Brown.
In the meantime onto some gangster news, Death Row Records founder and rap mogul Suge Knight was injured in an early morning shooting in a packed nightclub in Hollywood co-hosted by Chris Brown, but is expected to survive. The investigation is still open with no suspects arrested. Although it was slated as a pre-VMA party, MTV said it had no affiliation or connection to the event. Where’s there’s smoke there’s fire, and Suge has been in and out of altercations most of his career. We wonder what the motives where though?
Check out the list of winners:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR:
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”
BEST HIP HOP:
Drake ft. Majid Jordan – “Hold On (We’re Going Home)”
BEST MALE:
Ed Sheeran – “Sing”
BEST FEMALE:
Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – “Dark Horse”
BEST POP:
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
BEST ROCK:
Lorde – “Royals”
MTV ARTIST TO WATCH:
Fifth Harmony – “Miss Movin On”
BEST COLLABORATION:
Beyonce ft. JAY Z – “Drunk In Love”
MTV CLUBLAND AWARD:
Zedd ft. Hayley Williams – “Stay the Night”
BEST VIDEO WITH A SOCIAL MESSAGE
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”
BEST EDITING
Eminem – “Rap God”
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Sia – “Chandelier”
BEST DIRECTION
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
BEST ART DIRECTION
Arcade Fire – “Reflektor”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
OK Go – “The Writing’s On the Wall”
BEST LYRIC VIDEO
5 Seconds of Summer – “Don’t Stop”