Credit: Dave Hogan/Getty Images
Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards seemed to go off without a hitch, except for a simple wardrobe malfunction, but shortly before the awards began a club shooting sent hip-hop mogul Suge Knight to the hospital.
Knight was shot multiple times while attending an awards pre-party hosted by recording artist Chris Brown at 1OAK nightclub in West Hollywood, Calif.
The shooting took place at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.
According to TMZ, the former Death Row Records CEO went into surgery following the shooting, and spent the rest of Sunday recovering in the ICU.
Although he was shot several times, Knight was able to leave the club by himself.
It was not until a police officer spotted the bleeding hip-hop star that an ambulance was called to rush Knight to the hospital.
Two other men and a woman were also shot during the party, which was not affiliated with MTV.
All of the victims were “transported to local hospitals” and are “expected to recover,” the LA Sheriff’s Department told People.
While the shooter is unknown, police believe gang rivalry could be a motive of the shooting.
Photos and videos of Brown throwing up gang signs have taken over the web lately, although the R&B star insists he is not a member of the gang. Other members of the gang have taken to social media to say that while Brown is not a member, he is more than welcome to “rep” them.
Brown reacted to the shooting on Twitter saying, “It’s disappointing that we as a society can’t have fun or enjoy ourselves without any altercations sometimes. Miss me with the bulls***!!!”
Despite the chaos before the awards, the night was still filled with warm candid moments, spectacular performances, and the usual wardrobe malfunction.
Based on social media, it is clear that the highlight of the night was Beyonce’s stellar performance of a medley of nearly every song from her visual album.
The curvy songstress kicked off her set with Mine before flawlessly transitioning to Haunted and then to No Angel.
Of course, Drunk In Love and Partition were included as key parts of the medley, and her performance of Flawless had Blue Ivy dancing along with her mom as she sat in Jay Z’s lap in the audience.
Eventually, Beyonce, who was also the recipient of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, ended the nearly 20-minute set with XO, which she dedicated to her fans.
At the end of the performance, Jay Z and Blue joined Beyonce on stage to present her with the coveted award.
Blue managed to melt the hearts of many in the crowd as the microphone picked up the toddler clapping and cheering, “Yay Mommy.”
Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj took the stage three times throughout the night.
She first appeared in a faux jungle on stage to perform her latest single Anaconda.
Source: 4UMF
While they originally planned to have a large boa join her on stage, that part of the act was canceled after the snake bit one of the dancers during rehearsals.
After her risqué performance of Anaconda, Nicki left the stage for a few moments only to return to join Jessie J and Ariana Grande on stage for Bang Bang.
Credit: MTV.com
Unfortunately, the curvaceous rapper ran out of time, did not get zipped into her dress and performed her entire verse while holding her dress closed. Like a true performer, however, Nicki failed to miss a beat and still held her own next to her fully dressed partners on stage.
Her third appearance came during Usher’s performance of She Came to Give It to You.
Other major highlights of the night included a teary-eyed Miley Cyrus sending a former homeless teen on stage to accept her award for video of the year; new artist Sam Smith showcasing his incredible vocal range during his performance of Stay With Me; and rapper Common calling for a moment of silence for Michael Brown, the Ferguson, Mo. teenager killed by a police officer on Aug. 9.
