MTV VMA 2016 Highlights & Complete List of Winners: Beyonce Wins Big at the VMAs; Britney Spears, Rihanna and More Performances

By Krixia Zhienelle Subingsubing, Monday, August 29, 2016

This year's MTV VMAs show from New York Madison Square Garden was nothing short of extraordinary, with the combined forces of Beyonce and Britney Spears gracing the stage and slaying just about everyone who laid their eyes on the feast. Kanye West, as expected, did not disappoint in his high-drama musings, while Drake made us all swoon while he presented the Video Vanguard award to current flame Rihanna.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Here's the lowdown on what happened in this year's VMAs: who won, who performed, and other important flashpoints:

Rihanna

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

Subscribe

Ri-Ri kicked off the event with a medley of throwback songs, "Don't Stop the Music," "We Found Love," and "Where Have You Been." She performed three sets that night, and not a single one was wanting. Amazing.

Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj

As expected, two of the "Bang Bang" trio took to the stage and killed the set. Opening with a gym-themed "Side to Side," Grande and Minaj donned pink ensembles, singing as male wrestlers in pink singlets danced and writhed behind them.

Drake

Drake won Best Hip-Hop video award for "Hotline Bling," but was not there to accept the award because he was stuck in traffic (They were in New York, after all). Which was almost a shame, until he surfaced later on to present the Video Vanguard award to the "woman he has been in love with since [he] was 22 years old," Rihanna. Better award introductions have never been uttered.

Alicia Keys

The "Girl on Fire" star broke out in poetic verse as she presented the award for Best Male Video, which went to Calvin Harris' "This Is What You Came For" (which also features Rihanna). She said she believes that one day, her nation will rise again, and looks forward to a time when gender barriers are completely done for.

Britney Spears

Yep, it's Britney, b****. After almost a decade, Brit returns to the stage with G-Eazy, belting "Make Me Move" after being introduced by none other than Kim Kardashian.

Michael Phelps and Future the Rapper

Decorated Olympian Michael Phelps introduced Future on stage, saying that he listened to "Stick Talk" during the Rio 2016 Olympics (Maybe that's what he was listening to in his viral Death Glare meme? We may never know). Future then graced the stage with "F*** Up Some Commas."

Kanye West

No VMAs is ever complete without the Yeezy himself, as we have found time and time again. He did not disappoint--this time, in a free-wheeling four minutes, he was able to talk about the following: 1.) worrying that he was going to lose to Beyonce's "Lemonade," and joking that he always roots for the Queen Bey to win, anyway; 2.) defending "Famous" and himself against the allegations Taylor has made; 3.) the ongoing crime wave currently hitting Chicago.

All this before he got around to introducing his Tidal-sponsored "Fade." He has proven, once again, that the VMAs owe its viewability to the man who pays tribute to himself.

Beyonce

Of course, no one can remotely shadow Queen Bey. She swept nearly all of the awards this year with Formation, and even gave everyone a top-notch visual treat with her medley, Pray You Catch Me, Hold Up, and Don't Hurt Yourself.

Here's a complete round-up of winners from the VMAs:

1. Video of the Year: Beyonce, Formation
2. Best Female Video: Beyonce, Hold Up
3. Best Male Video: Calvin Harris, This is What You Came For
4. Best Collaboration: Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign, Work From Home
5. Best Hiphop video: Drake, Hotline Bling
6. Best Pop Video: Beyoncé, Formation
7. Best Rock Video: twenty one pilots, Heathens
8. Best Electronic Video: Calvin Harris & Disciples. How Deep Is Your Love
9. Breakthrough Long Form Video: Beyonce, Lemonade
10. Best New Artist: DNCE
11. Song of Summer Presented by Verizon: Fifth Harmony feat. Fetty Wap, All In My Head (Flex)

Professional categories:

1. Best Art Direction: David Bowie, Blackstar
2. Best Choreography: Beyonce, Formation
3. Best Direction: Beyonce, Formation
4. Best Cinematography: Beyonce, Formation
5. Best Editing: Beyonce, Formation
6. Best Visual Effects: Coldplay, Up & Up