MTV VMAs 2023

Ice Spice Saw A Photo Of Her Body And Was Shocked At How ‘Thick’ She Looked

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This past weekend’s 2023 MTV VMAs were full of surprises, like Madonna’s 34-year-old commercial and supposed beef between Megan Thee Stallion and Justin Timberlake (which was quickly debunked). The most surprising element of the evening for Ice Spice appears to be herself, as she was shocked about how her body looked in a photo she saw.

Recently, Ice Spice shared a photo of herself and Taylor Swift hugging at the VMAs, and in the picture, both artists are shown from the side. Ice Spice was apparently surprised to see how her profile looked as she tweeted, “damn i aint kno i was that thick hold on.” The post has proven to be popular, as it’s been seen over 35 million times on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Ice Spice had a good night at the VMAs. She won the Best New Artist award and had three other nominations: Push Performance Of The Year for “Princess Diana” and two nods in Song Of The Summer, for her and Nicki Minaj’s Barbie movie song “Barbie World” and her and Swift’s “Karma.” Her and Ben Affleck’s new Dunkin’ commercial also debuted during the broadcast.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Saweetie Joined Selena Gomez In Rebutting Becoming A Meme After Stuttering At The 2023 MTV VMAs

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We do not need to overthink what happened at Tuesday’s (September 12) 2023 MTV Video Music Awards: Saweetie is great, and teleprompters are not.

Saweetie hosted the VMAs pre-show and was a presenter during MTV’s broadcast. Saweetie stuttered while tossing the pre-show to a commercial break, as posted by a fan account on X (formerly known as Twitter). In the time between that understandable mishap and Saweetie’s reappearance during the 2023 MTV VMAs to introduce a performance from Stray Kids, some people roasted her online.

“Hey, what’s up, y’all? It’s me again,” Saweetie said (as shown in a clip posted to X by BET). “And y’all better stop making my little stutter video go viral. I see what you’re doin’. Anyways, let’s try it again!”

Saweetie has been teasing her debut album, Pretty B*tch Music, for at least two years. In March, she explained the album’s ongoing delay to E! News.

“I feel like a debut album is not something you just put out,” Saweetie said. “It’s not something you play with. I’m a Cancer, so I like to overthink sometimes, but I think you have to be really careful with that, and I take my art really serious.”

Selena Gomez can relate. Gomez, sitting next to her “Calm Down” collaborator Rema, did not appear pleased when Chris Brown was announced as a nominee for Best R&B. Video of her reaction circulated (and is still circulating) online, and she later wrote on her since-expired Instagram Story, “I will never be a meme again. I’d rather sit still than be dragged for being myself. Much love.”

Saweetie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Victoria Monét Explained Why She Didn’t Perform At VMAs And Thanked Fans For Their ‘Advocation’ Of Her

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On Tuesday, September 12, the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards hit all the traditional awards show notes. Taylor Swift won basically everything. The long list of performers included Doja Cat, Diddy, Olivia Rodrigo, Cardi B and Hot Girl Meg, Metro Boomin, and Shakira. NSYNC reunited, Justin Timberlake and Megan Thee Stallion posted a TikTok, Selena Gomez swore to never become a meme again, and Swift let loose during her The Eras Tour hiatus.

But wait, why was Victoria Monét in the crowd but not performing on stage? Fans were particularly upset that she wasn’t given the opportunity to show off her powerhouse vocals.

“I see your advocation for me to have performed tonight and I’m so grateful to you!! Sincerely!” Monét wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “My team was told it is ‘too early in my story’ for that opportunity so we will keep working! I’m grateful for YOU, for my tour starting this Friday and for the ability to see some of my favorite people perform tonight and receive the love they so deserve!!! [Brown heart emoji, prayer-hands emoji] For me, it’s part of the story…and in Gods time.”

Lauren Jauregui replied to Monét’s post, writing what most people are thinking: “I love you and your beautiful positive SWEET ASS SELF OMG but also they’re full of sh*t lol.”

In late August, Monét dropped her album Jaguar II, which Uproxx‘s Wongo Okon reviewed glowingly. Fans still have a chance to experience for themselves in person, as Monét’s supporting The Jaguar Tour will stretch into October. See her remaining dates here.

Megan Thee Stallion’s Morning-After Video Explains Just What Happened With Justin Timberlake At The 2023 MTV VMAs

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For a minute, it looked like there was some beef going down at last night’s (September 12) 2023 MTV VMAs (aside from Selena Gomez and Chris Brown). A video of a backstage interaction between Megan Thee Stallion and Justin Timberlake showed Meg pointing her finger and wagging it at Timberlake while she sported a seemingly unhappy facial expression.

It appears things weren’t as they seemed, though. Later, reports surfaced that Timberlake said to Megan, “It’s so nice to meet you,” to which the rapper responded, “No no, this don’t count, this don’t count, we gotta meet proper.”

A video that Meg shared on TikTok this morning seems to further prove that everything is good between Meg and JT, and that the supposed beef between them was just a big misunderstanding. The video — set to Do As Infinity’s “Fukai Mori,” which was previously used as an ending theme for the Inuyasha anime series — shows Meg and Timberlake hanging out backstage, smiling and laughing as they enjoy a friendly conversation.

Meg also included what appears to be an explanation for the video that sparked feud rumors, writing in her post’s caption, “I just talk with my hands lol [raised hand emoji] see ya next time @Justin Timberlake.”

@theestallion

I just talk with my hands lol 💁🏽‍♀️see ya next time @Justin Timberlake

♬ Fukai Mori – Do As Infinity

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Selena Gomez Couldn’t Help But Make A Face When Hearing A Chris Brown Nomination At The 2023 MTV VMAs

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Earlier this year, Chlöe faced (and later addressed) criticism for collaborating with the controversial Chris Brown on her album In Pieces, on the song “How Does It Feel.” Regardless, the collab found some success and landed itself a nomination at last night’s (September 12) 2023 MTV VMAs. That doesn’t mean everybody was happy about it though: As Selena Gomez sat in the Video Music Awards audience, she couldn’t help but make her feelings known.

As the nominees in the Best R&B category were announced, an audience camera was fixed on Selena Gomez (and “Calm Down” collaborator Rema seated next to her). Nominated in that category was “How Does It Feel” and as that was read, Gomez’s demeanor noticeably changed. Before, she had a subtle smile and was holding her hands together up in front of her, as though waiting to applaud. When she heard Brown’s name, though, she put her hands on her lap, looked down, frowned, and made a clear grimace. When Yung Bleu and Nicki Minaj’s “Love In The Way” was announced next, though, Gomez clapped as her smile returned.

SZA’s “Shirt” ended up winning that award, by the way. Also nominated aside from the aforementioned were Alicia Keys’ “Stay” Feat. Lucky Daye; Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy’s “Creepin’ (Remix)”; and Toosii’s “Favorite Song.”

Meanwhile, Gomez and Rema’s “Calm Down” was up for three awards and won one of them, in the Best Afrobeats category. This also isn’t the first time in recent days Gomez has drawn some attention for reacting from the audience.

Check out the video of Gomez’s reaction above.

Metro Boomin Dedicated A Haunting 2023 MTV VMAs Performance With Future And Swae Lee To His Late Mother

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Metro Boomin brought a who’s-who of hip-hop superstars to his performance at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, overseeing the proceedings from a DJ booth hovering far above the stage. First, Future appeared to perform their song “Superhero” on a mist-covered stage. Then, Swae Lee popped out to sing the Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse soundtrack standout “Calling.” He was joined in short order by Nav, then by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (whose name got mangled by announcers and presenters all night. How hard is it to say “A Boogie?”). The performance ended with a loving dedication to Metro’s mom, Leslie Wayne, who was killed last year.

Their performance closed out an eventful night that saw exuberant performances from the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, Stray Kids, and more. The night also saw an reunion of sorts for NSYNC — although Megan Thee Stallion might not have been completely impressed.

However, because of the ongoing WGA strike, it was pretty clear that show didn’t have as much room for the scripted moments that have made the VMAs must-see TV in prior years. That left more room for music and awards, making the three-hour show feel much shorter than it actually was.

You can watch Metro’s performance above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Nicki Minaj Previewed A ‘Pink Friday 2’ Song And Performed ‘Last Time I Saw You’ At The 2023 MTV VMAs

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Nicki Minaj has a new album coming soon, so what better time for her to return to the VMA stage? Nicki took a break from her hosting duties — one year after being honored as a Video Vanguard — to perform her new single, “Last Time I Saw You.” As the song itself is relatively intimate in comparison to NIcki’s last few chart toppers, her performance was suitably stripped-down, opening with Nicki standing at the mic in a billowing gown — which she slowly doffed as she continued her performance.

Then, at the close of the song, she decided to hit the audience with a new song from the upcoming Pink Friday 2. “I like my hundreds blue,” she declared on the hook, while issuing combative lyrics demanding acknowledgment for her trendsetter status. There are definitely going to be some Barbz taking this thing way too seriously by tomorrow morning and I’m already exhausted — but the beat’s nice and it’s Nicki at her battle rapping best.

Nicki is also one of the artists nominated for awards this evening, including Video Of The Year and Hip-Hop Video Of The Year for “Super Freaky Girl,” R&B Video Of The Year for “Love In The Way” with Yung Bleu, Artist Of The Year, and Song Of The Summer. Watch her performance above and keep up with the VMAs on Uproxx here.

Doja Cat Gave A Sensational Performance Of ‘Attention,’ ‘Paint The Town Red,’ And ‘Demons’ At The 2023 MTV VMAs

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Doja Cat‘s new album Scarlet is almost here, and hers was one of the most highly anticipated performances of the 2023 MTV VMAs, especially after her sexy spiderweb look on the pink carpet.

It’s impossible to prepare for Doja. She performed most of her Scarlet single “Attention” in the audience all dressed up as a businesswoman, followed by creepy dancers painted in all red and looking quite devilish. On the stage, she went straight into the viral, infectious “Paint The Town Red,” which just recently became the first rap song of the year to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Then, she smoothly transitioned into the cheeky “Demons.” During her flow, she unbuttoned her shirt as papers flew all around the stage. She finished the song with a big smile, knowing she owned the room.

About Scarlet, she recently said, “One thing that I wanted to mention was that I have music that came out — these three songs came out, these were the first three songs I made during the period that I was making music,” she said. “And then there’s a second half where I went to Malibu and I made all this music in ten days. That half is very different from the first half.”

Watch clips of her performance below.

What Happened Between Megan Thee Stallion And Justin Timberlake At The 2023 VMAs?

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The 2023 VMAs have already had a fair degree of potential controversy just an hour into the show. During Olivia Rodrigo’s performance, a burning palm tree had fans worried that it wasn’t a planned part of the set, then, just before Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion hit the stage to perform “Bongos,” Meg appeared to exchange words with Justin Timberlake as NSYNC returned backstage after presenting an award to Taylor Swift.

Fans observing the moment on Twitter appeared to be divided about the interpretation. Meg, who was getting last-minute touch-ups from her hairstylist, looked agitated by something Timberlake may have said as he passed. While he was smiling, she pointed at him and gave a forceful response. But to some fans, it looked like her end of the conversation was simply her repeating “that doesn’t count,” which they interpreted as a possible response to the bait-and-switch of NYSNC’s rumored “reunion” — she certainly wouldn’t be alone in expecting them to play a song. Even Swift wondered, “You guys are gonna do something, right?”

Of course, without the audio, all this is speculation, but I’m inclined to believe the latter explanation. Meg is certainly in the demographic that grew up on NSYNC’s music, so she’d be justified (heh) in being just a little annoyed by the letdown… but hey, their “reunion” tonight seems like the perfect setup for their eventual song from the upcoming Trolls movie, Band Together, which plays off the group’s mid-aughties breakup. If the speculation gets too out of hand, I’m sure they’ll all have plenty of time to dispel the rumors on the press tour for the movie.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Cardi B And Megan Thee Stallion Brought Out A Tropical Revue For Their 2023 VMAs Performance Of ‘Bongos’

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Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion took inspiration from Copacabana-style revues for their performance of “Bongos” for the 2023 MTV VMAs. The set came in directly from commercial with nary an introduction in sight. However, the two feisty rappers didn’t really need one; Cardi and Meg wore matching blue and green bodysuits, surrounded by Carnival-themed dancers and palm trees, delivering a decidedly toned-down performance from their controversy-inducing “WAP” performances.

It’s not like they needed the controversy to fuel big streaming numbers for the dembow-influenced hit. After the success of “WAP,” the two rappers’ reunion was hotly anticipated by fans, and with Cardi spending over $2 million for the Malibu-shot music video, it’s already accumulated millions of views across platforms and will surely land somewhere in the top ten on next week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart.

After the song’s release, Megan praised Cardi for being consistently supportive over her troubled last couple of years. “This space that I’m in mentally, I’m not foolin’ with too many people that don’t give me good vibes, good energy,” she said. “I have creative boundaries. And Cardi is somebody that I want in my space, in my energy, so it’s so easy to work with her because she got the vibe, she got the energy, I want her in my space.”

Check out the duo’s performance above and follow more of Uproxx’s VMAs coverage here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.