The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year between June 2008 to June 2009, were presented on September 13, 2009, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and televised by MTV. The ceremony was hosted by Russell Brand.[1]
At the awards, Kanye West had four nominations, three for the music video to "Love Lockdown," and the other for the "Paranoid" video. All four lost, but Kanye attracted international media attention when he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance of the award for Best Female Video, defending Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" video that went on to win Video of the Year. When she won that award, she gave a short speech before allowing Taylor to finish her own that was interrupted earlier in the night.[1]
The incident led Kanye to escape the public eye for a while before returning with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), a record that was seen as a make-or-break comeback from infamy. The incident likely led to the cancellation of a joint tour with Lady Gaga that was scheduled to start in two months.[2]
In a larger picture, the incident also ignite the long-standing, and still ongoing, beef between Ye and Taylor. The incident is also one of the biggest controversies in Ye's career.
Interruption
Taylor Swift and Kanye west
Video of the interruption.
Kanye West was previously seen at the awards show with a bottle of Hennessy.[3] When the time came for Taylor Swift to accept her award for Best Female Video (for "You Belong with Me,") Kanye took the microphone from her and made his now-infamous interruption.
Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!
As the live audience booed at him, he handed Taylor her microphone back, flipped off the crowd, and walked off stage.[4][5] He was subsequently removed from the show, and Beyoncé let Taylor finish her speech when she won Video of the Year.[6]
Kanye was criticized by all ends of the media, including other celebrities and even then-President of the United States Barack Obama, who called the artist a "jackass." Ye would write an apology on his blog and later on The Jay Leno Show.[7][8][9]
Nominations
- Video of the Year
- "Love Lockdown" (lost to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyoncé
- Best Male Video
- "Love Lockdown" (lost to "Live Your Life (ft. Rihanna)" by T.I.)
- Best Hip-Hop Video
- "Love Lockdown" (lost to "We Made You" by Eminem)
- Best Special Effects
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_MTV_Video_Music_Awards
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fame_Kills:_Starring_Kanye_West_and_Lady_Gaga
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Kanye/comments/kdhfo0/the_most_iconic_hennessy_bottle_in_history/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/09/14/kanye.west.reaction/index.html
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kanye-west-storms-the-vmas-stage-during-taylor-swifts-speech-20090913?rand=84857
- ↑ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1621389/20090913/west_kanye.jhtml
- ↑ https://www.mtv.com/news/1621478/kanye-west-posts-new-apology-to-taylor-swift-for-vma-rant/
- ↑ https://www.mtv.com/news/1621410/kanye-west-apologizes-to-taylor-swift-for-vma-rant/
- ↑ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-kanye-fallout15-2009sep15,0,4346169.story