MTV’s VMAs Gave Me Brain Damage, Thanks Kanye

First the good.

Janet Jackson put it down for her brother at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night. She was incredible and I, already a JJ fan, had ever more respect for her ability to put on such a performance so soon after her brother’s passing, performing the only song the two ever recorded together, “Scream.” (It’s really a shame they didn’t do more music together.) Janet is a phenomenal dancer and performer in her own right and it’s amazing that both those people came out of one very multitalented family.

Now for the incredibly mind-numbingly stupid, Jay-Z swagger humping via Beyonce, circus-like bitchfest that is Kanye West. Seriously, Ye. Why do you make it so hard for me to love you?

More after the jump.

What is this? Again. I don’t understand this. AGAIN. The Guardian UK did a break down of all the times Mr. West has lost his shit at either award shows or online (click here for the entire West Freak Out Opus). I honestly didn’t understand this blatant display of shine-jacking, this time the target a tiny, pretty little country/western singer whose songs annoy me because they play 9 billion times a day on the radio. I mean, I was rooting for Pink to win the Moonman for best female video, not Taylor Swift and her annoyingly uptempo country-pop ballad “You Belong To Me,” but hey, she’s a kid. Most of MTV’s viewers are 12 and 13. It’s a feel good story. Girl with the Nashville sound wins over My Chemical Romance fans. Good for HER. But OF COURSE because Beyonce was also up for the same award for “Single Ladies” and Beyonce is married to Camel Joe, aka Jay-Z, Kanye’s mentor/homie/ace/stalkee, he felt the need to grab the mic from blondie and start screaming out that “Single Ladies” was one of the greatest videos of all time.

Ahem, my dear Famewhore, no. There are several things wrong with this assessment.

1. Single Ladies IS NOT one of the best videos of all time. The dance was catchy, the tune was catchy but the whole thing was just her and two chicks in leotards aping Tina Turner. I still watch the thing waiting for them to do the karate kicks and coming away disappointed. Beyonce has done better videos, namely “Crazy In Love,” the main reason that keeps me from completely hating her as I’m convinced “Crazy In Love” is one of the greatest summer dance jams ever thanks to that pilfered beat courtesy of the Chi-Lites.

2. Please stop kissing Jay’s arse. We get it. You love Jay. Jay helped make you. You think Hov is the greatest of all time. You written songs thanking him for what he’s done for you (which I always thought was mad weird, but whatever, do your thing). You honestly don’t need to invade the space of young white women to get your “I Heart Jay” point across. Please. You don’t have to defend Jay’s woman. Beyonce is more than capable of Sasha Fierce-ing herself and has a bed full of money to comfort her at night. Plus, SHE’S WON THIS AWARD BEFORE! She has Moonmen. So really, we know this was all about Jay and nothing about Bey. I don’t understand why you can’t just Hello Kitty-Lisa Frank bedazzle some sort of Ye and Jay 4-Ever T-shirt, ask him to leave Bey and run away with you to the tune of Let’s Dance by David Bowie, proposing that Jay put on his red shoes and dance away the blues right into your heart or something like that. I understand the concept of “bromance” but this is turning into “bro-obsession.” Please stop.

As for the rest of the VMAs … zzzzzzzzzzzz … Lady GaGa is off her rocker and covered in blood … zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. And then the awesomeness that was the trailer for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It,” which will probably make a ka-billion dollars.

Here it is for those who missed it.

daniellebelton
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28 responses to “MTV’s VMAs Gave Me Brain Damage, Thanks Kanye”

  1. BabylonSista Avatar
    BabylonSista

    Janet KILLED it. There was a point where she missed a step–it was barely noticeable–but it didn’t even matter. Dancing with her brother’s image behind her must have been comforting, exhiliarating, and heartbreaking. I also noticed that she was giving fierce attitude afterward. Part of me wants to believe it was for her Gumby brother Jermaine: "THIS is a tribute, punk." And I’ve just put it into my Outlook calendar to buy tickets for "This Is It," because I need to see that. It’s heartbreaking to see how on his game he seemed to be.As far as Miss West’s cunty episode: I think that, as a people, we need to take Kanye in hand. His mother isn’t here to do it anymore–so we, as black folks, need to tell him to sit down somewhere. We need a nationwide intervention on this negro.

    Reply
  2. a. johnson Avatar
    a. johnson

    I never thought about Kanye’s obsession with Jay, but yea, I guess so. One point that people don’t often make about the single ladies video is that it is springboarded by the "Walk it Out Fosse" video on YouTube, originally "Mexican Breakfast" choreographed by Bob Fosse. Check it out! That’s Sasha Fierceness.

    Reply
  3. polticallyincorrect Avatar
    polticallyincorrect

    I was wondering too, how the so called best video of all time basically be the same as those Fosse videos. Kanye was clearly hypnotized by the ladies gyrating in leotards.

    Reply
  4. Monie Avatar
    Monie

    And also Kanye was drunk. Did you see the pics of him walking the red carpet with a half empty bottle of hennessy? He needs help. I really think he’s having multiple mini-nervous breakdowns because of the loss of his mom.

    Reply
  5. priysmom Avatar
    priysmom

    @BabylonSista,…I agree, I too noticed the fierce additude at the final…it was for sure more then just a final pose. I thought the same…it was directed at jermaine and Joe….did you hear Jermaine on the red carpet state that he didnt know about her performance??? maybe she didnt want them there….

    Reply
  6. Scipio Africanus Avatar
    Scipio Africanus

    I’ve been getting really annoyed with the peopel who’ve been saying"Yeah, Kanye was wrong to do that, BUT he kind of had a point." What? Huh? Point or not point, you don’t do what he did. Wait until yoru press conference, make a statement at you acceptance speech, do it on your own time and when the mike is in your face.

    Reply
  7. Denise Avatar
    Denise

    @Scipio Africanus , I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m sure there were many other people in the audience who felt like someone else deserved that award but they all managed to act like adults and stay in their seats. All he did was alienate a lot more people. He could have made his point at another time without humiliating a 17 year old girl.

    Reply
  8. JJ Avatar
    JJ

    I actually liked the MTV awards last night. I thought the MJJ tribute was great. His back up dancers did a great job and so did Janet. I also like Beyonce and Lady Gaga’s performances. Kanye was dead wrong for what he did. Kanye has a lot of issues that he needs to deal with. He seems to have become more over the top since his mother passed. I hope he gets the help he needs.

    Reply
  9. The_A Avatar
    The_A

    Didn’t watch. Thanks for posting the JJ videoKanye needs Jesus. I wonder how long his handlers will allow him to spiral out of control before they intervene & get him some help.

    Reply
  10. Tracy Avatar
    Tracy

    Kanye is an idiot to the fourh power, but I do agree that Beyonce’s video should have won. Simply because "Single Ladies" was the most watched, most imitated, and the most fiercest video of 09! How many copies did you see of Taylor , Britney, or Madonna for that matter. NONE-YA!!Hate her or love her, Bey OWNED 09!!

    Reply
  11. conni3 Avatar
    conni3

    I love Bey, but she has so many awards, she doesn’t need another one. And the video would be a big deal if ‘Diva’ and ‘Ego’ didn’t look just like it. Taylor Swift deserved to win she’s brought country music back to pop stations, Kanye was so out of pocket. I usually roll with ‘Ye, but I’m tired of him now. I’ll probably get hammer for this, but I didn’t like the Janet performance. Her part was so short; if you blinked you missed it. I would’ve preferred the MJ imitators (Justin, Chris Brown, Usher) to have done a dance tribute together.

    Reply
  12. Tamara Avatar
    Tamara

    When asked on the red carpet which of her 9 nominations she would like to receive a moonman for (if not all of them), Beyonce humbly replied (not an exact quote), that she was just happy to be there and to be nominated but if she had to choose, Video of the Year would be the one she’d want to win.If Beyonce was fine with that, how come Kanyetta wasn’t?Beyonce’s video DID WIN; it won the highest video accolade of them all; and in my opinion, that one was ENOUGH. (and I think she won for choreography, too).Janet was FIERCE. She’s a legend and an icon.Gaga was WEIRD, but I loved it.Beyonce was okay. It reminded me of her ‘Crazy in Love’ performance years ago with all the Beyonce-bots dancing around/with her (or was it Me, Myself & I?). I’m dead tired of "Single Ladies" and was hoping for some "Sweet Dreams" performance. Meh. I hope after this year, ALL these female acts retire these TIRED LEOTARDS…just stop and go put some clothes on.Green Day and Muse were ‘meh’ for me. Taylor was cute. Kanye is the biggest diva ever. Was he PMSing or something last night? He looked a complete idiot. Proof positive that money doesn’t equate to class. Beyonce was a total class act with her dedication to Taylor. Awesome of her to do that.PINK. Can we talk about PINK? She was singing LIVE and sounding GOOD while swinging from trapezes!!! PINK was awesome and amazing!Russell Brand…….is just so hippyish and British or something. LOL. But I love how he tried to patch things up; "It’s all about love, yeah, M.J. was all about love, let’s love one another. I’ll love Taylor and Beyonce at the same time, I don’t care." LOLOLOLJayZ and Alicia. LOVED IT. I’m die-hard for Alicia Keys; so ready for new music. JayZ’s "swagga" as the chirren say knows no bounds. How do they keep level-headed when they’re thrust so high in the clouds of celebritydom? Hmmm.Overall, a good show. Better than expected; better than last year most definitely.

    Reply
  13. Tamara Avatar
    Tamara

    @ Tracy,Bey owned ’09.Pink owned ’09.Madonna owned ’09.Britney owned ’09.Taylor owned ’09.Gaga owned ’09.etc.And those are just solo, female acts. These ladies all worked hard, had awesome record sales and tour sales and were publicized all over the music stations with their own unique take on the music they produced.

    Reply
  14. David Wise Avatar
    David Wise

    The MJ trailer looks awesome!

    Reply
  15. RobertM Avatar
    RobertM

    What is it w/ lady Gaga that few women like?

    Reply
  16. Dee Avatar
    Dee

    Janet was FEIRCE! The look she had on her face at the end of her performance was that I’m So Mad I’m About to Cry look. I wanted to give her a hug. Now, Kanye is a damn shame, he is a two year old stuck in a insecure 32 yr old body. Grow up and get a mental exam. He has pulled this crap at THREE different award shows.

    Reply
  17. CK Avatar
    CK

    Loved the MJ tribute and Bey’s performance. Lady GaGa is so weird that it’s not even entertaining. Just lame. I think the Kanye West thing was STAGED for ratings/publicity … the same reason they invited Russell Brand back after he was so controversial last year … the same reason they staged the whole Sacha Cohen-butt-in-Eminem’s-face bit that looked oh so real at the MTV movie awards. They know how to get us talking. Kudos to MTV and Kanye for punking us all! Did you see that Lil Mama issued an apology for jumping on stage with JayZ? I’m guessing most people hardly noticed. Poor girl.

    Reply
  18. Dham Avatar
    Dham

    Kanye does seem to have a bit of an obssession with everything Jay-Z. But in all of his foolishness, I still got love for ‘Ye. I don’t see how anyone in their right mind can call Single Ladies one of the greatest videos of all time.

    Reply
  19. Not an idiot Avatar
    Not an idiot

    You people actually watch and listen to this trash?I’ll bet that most of you are probably parents too. That is one of the reasons why everything is a mess.

    Reply
  20. BluTopaz Avatar
    BluTopaz

    Technically speaking, I loved how in the Scream video Janet was edited out, so she could dance on the right side of the screen just like in the video. I feel like i grew up with Janet- we are the same age, both youngest of big families, and I lost my 50 year old brother this summer also-I was so proud of her I cried at the end of her performance because she is holding it down for her family, and as fierce as ever. I think Kanye might have some type of mental illness. I was thinking a lot about the whole Maia Campbell thing, and how often mentail illlness can look like something else. I have been around a few people who are starved for attention, even if it’s negative and makes everyone dislike them. He reminds me of that, maybe losing his mother was the catalyst.

    Reply
  21. Zoe D Avatar
    Zoe D

    The only reason I even went online to see any of this awards show was because Twitter started blowing up about Kanye and I got curious. I’d never even heard of Taylor Swift before yesterday, and I hadn’t seen the Beyonce video (even though I knew the song). I like the dancing in the Beyonce video, and she’s one hell of a performer. The Taylor Swift song is not my cup of tea, and the video was juvenile…but I’m 31 years old and not the target audience. If I were 12, maybe I’d love it. That said, it was more creative than the Bey video. My favorite videos either tell stories or have really cool imagery…booty shaking is cool but a video booty shaking does not make. But who cares? Miss Swift seems like a sweet girl and she’s new at being in the spotlight, and this jackass stomped in and took that from her. I guess the good thing that came out of this is that she’s got some new fans now! If Kanye hadn’t done that, I’d *still* not know who Taylor Swift was.

    Reply
  22. Don't Let the JCrew Fool Ya Avatar
    Don’t Let the JCrew Fool Ya

    Kanyes is an *ss and Bey is a great performer but that VIDEO was a straight reproduction of Fosse’s Mexican Breakfast viedo. NOT ORIGINAL AT ALL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRm4evmgz4I

    Reply
  23. sasha Avatar
    sasha

    Thoughts:1. The tribute to MJ was good. Janet was great2. i don’t understand the outrage at kanye. people didn’t condemn chris brown this much and he actually assaulted someone!taylor swift should thank kanye for all the publicity and the boost to her career. all parties involved won; ppl are talking about what was a pretty boring show; taylor swift gets america’s support, kanye gets everyone to talk about him and beyonce gets to seem like the class act

    Reply
  24. JJ Avatar
    JJ

    @Sashai don’t understand the outrage at kanye. people didn’t condemn chris brown this much and he actually assaulted someone!taylor swift should thank kanye for all the publicity and the boost to her career. all parties involved won; ppl are talking about what was a pretty boring show; taylor swift gets america’s support, kanye gets everyone to talk about him and beyonce gets to seem like the class actSee…that’s how I feel.

    Reply
  25. Tracy Avatar
    Tracy

    @TamaraYep they are all hard working female artists – BUT – as I stated before, there is only one artist (BEY) that has about a million copycat video’s out. EVERYONE was doing the Single Ladies! The video was even parodied in a national comic strip. The only thing that came close to the Single Ladies hysteria was a few years ago when Britney had that crying fan on youtube. And she had to be crazy to get that!Yep, it was Bey’s year!

    Reply
  26. JamieT Avatar
    JamieT

    Can I please just point out that Beyonce took that entire dance anyway… She claimed that it was INSPIRED by Bob Fosse a Broadway choreographer but clearly they took nearly EVERY dance step… maybe updating a few things. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRm4evmgz4I&feature=relatedI'm just sayin… I like some of Beyonce’s work but really I get tired of artist remakes of music and beats… just as much as I hate it they try to remake classic movies. Fame? Footloose? Common… Create new stop stealing from the past…

    Reply
  27. studpoet Avatar
    studpoet

    I actually liked the Mtv Awards for the first time in years. Muse was the only let down for me. I’d never even listened to a Lady GaGa song before seeing her perform and I was simultaneously freaked out and drawn to it. It’s on my list to go listen to her stuff some time soon. But big ups to her for saying that her award was for God and the gays! Yeah!!! Nice!!!I agree that I don’t think that Bey’s "Single Ladies" vid is all that. I agree that "Crazy In Love" happens to be one of the best vids she’s ever done. Second that with "If I Were a Boy". But yeah….why and in what world made a Brittany Spears vid relevant? Umm…no. They’re doing anything to keep that poor child off drugs. Otherwise, I normally love Jay in concert but I wasn’t feeling his closing and that is my least fave song on BP3.

    Reply
  28. Tracy Avatar
    Tracy

    (sigh)It was a video people!!For those of us old enough to remember the early days of MTV – you know, when they actually played videos – we know that almost ALL video’s were rehashing of something ! Madonna ripped off gays, ethnics (um no she didn’t invent Voging) and Debbie Harry, Britney ripped off Janet Jackson to the letter, Duran Duran videos were short films of books and novels. Every video was "inspired" by something or other…TEAM BEY !!!

    Reply

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