Beyonce, Jay-Z Hit the Stage at 2009 EMAs

Here's two noteworthy performances from this year's MTV Europe Music Awards, taped today in Berlin.

Beyonce "Sweet Dreams"

Beyoncé - New Music - More Music Videos

Jay-Z "Empire State of Mind"

Jay-Z - New Music - More Music Videos

Swagger Ready's MTV VMAs 2009 Recap

Wow, what a night! There's a lot of ground to cover, so I'll get right to it with a few looks from the Red Carpet.


Dirty Money makes its first VMAs appearance.


Cassie on the Red Carpet, looking fierce.


Miss Keri, baby!


Joe Jackson's sorry self with some arm candy.


Lady Gaga looking a hot mess.

The 2009 MTV VMAs got off to a beautiful start with Madonna speaking about the King of Pop. Her touching speech shared some of the similarities between the two -- both born in August 1958, both grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest and both have eight siblings -- and painted a picture of how the world turned our backs on him, yet how he surpasses any musician in terms of impact in pop culture.

This is an excerpt from Madonna’s remarks:
“I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood ... How do you recreate your childhood when you're under the magnifying glass of the world for your entire life? There is no question that MJ is the greatest talent that the world has ever known … Michael Jackson was a hero ... He was so unique, he was so original, he was so rare and there will never been anyone like him. He was a king. But he was also a human being. Sometimes we have to lose things before we can truly appreciate them … I hope that wherever Michael is right now, he is smiling about this.”



And then, came the tribute, which as well-done, to say the least. A step up from that shoddy job BET did in June. I’m just sayin’. Dancers came out in all the MJ looks from throughout the decades and relived such hits as “Thriller” and “Smooth Criminal.” But, when Janet came out and did “Scream,” I about lost it! The performance gave me chills. I admire Janet for her strength and giving a stellar performance amid the pain. Haha. Did anyone else catch Laurie Ann “Boom Kack” Gibson and Chris Judd dancing in the background? It kind of sucks that her performance was overshadowed by an asinine stunt that Chi Town’s Finest pulled soon after (Read on for the details of that debacle …).

That was a tough act to follow, but I kind of thought that lame segue into the award show with Katy Perry singing her version of “We Will Rock You.” Umm, hello. At the very least, Russell Brand should have just began his opening remarks.

Why MTV invited Russell back as a host, I don’t know. He needed to sit down about five minutes into the show. Also, did he need to highlight the speculation about Lady Gaga being a hermaphrodite?

MTV Shows

So shenanigans ensued straight out the gate with the introduction of the award for Best Female Video, the first award announced. What happened next has become the most talked about portion of the ceremony. Taylor Swift -- who is a virtual unknown in comparison to fellow nominees Beyonce and Lady Gaga -- won the award. Who else but Kanye West appears like Houdini out of thin air on stage, snatches the mic from her hands and proclaims that “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.” *Cut to Beyonce looking like, ‘I know this Negro didn’t!* Damnit, Kanye! It wasn’t even an award he was nominated for and yet his drunk arse just had to speak out! Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but you don’t need to let it be known, especially not in that way. Also, how did he get up there so fast?



I don't blame it on the vodka. I blame that ish on the Henny! Hilarious. Shocking. Appalling. And to think that was Taylor’s FIRST VMA. Way to taint that accomplishment forever.

To her credit, she did give a high-energy performance aboard a subway of “You Belong With Me” moments later.

Many of the Tweeples were outraged by Yeezy’s heinous display, including P!nk:



Ye was escorted out, and this apology, if you can call it that, appeared on his blog shortly thereafter.





Amid that controversy, Beyonce took the stage and really did her thing. Who else could dance so hard and sing so well? She makes it look so effortless.

Best Male Video went to T.I., and Best Hip Hop Video was awarded to Eminem for “We Made You.” He dedicated his award to his homie, Proof, who passed away in April 2006.

Then Kid Cudi performed “Make Her Say” with house band Wale and UCB, which was kinda weak. Thought he should have had been on the main stage. Cudi remembered his friend, DJ AM, who died Aug. 28.

Why Britney Spears won Best Pop Video and Lady Gaga won Best New Artist, I don’t know. By the way, Gaga’s stylist should be fired. I cringed at every outfit she had on. It was very distracting.

Beyonce did win the award for Video of the Year. She then said she wanted to let Taylor Swift “have her moment.” So she was able to give the speech she deserved. I’m glad Bey won because that video was probably one of the most watched videos of the year. Just type “Beyonce Single Ladies Put A Ring On It” and you’ll see the many remakes that fans attempted to recreate -- some better than others. Let’s be honest. But that act from Bey was sincere and unexpected.



Jay-Z rockin’ “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys was the second-best performance of the night. A. Keys sang her heart out and Jay has a way of stirring up emotion with his delivery. The backdrop was amazing as well. The way he came out … Dope! But why did Lil’ Mama feel it was OK to go on stage? Clearly, she was an uninvited guest. Did you see Jigga tap her like “Sityoassdown!”?



We got to see a special clip of Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” documentary, which will be in theaters on Oct. 28. What a nice way to end the night full of tomfoolery and drunken debauchery.

Sigh … It’s gonna take a lot to top this one.

Shouts to ConcreteLoop.com and BrokenCool.com for the images, and Mr. World Premiere for the clips.

View Jay-Z's Answer The Call Concert in Its Entirety

This concert was epic, with special appearances from Mephis Bleek, Kid Cudi, John Mayer, Rihanna, Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce and Diddy. These clips are provided by Mr. World Premiere himself. Enjoy!