Best 2013 VMA Performances: Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and More

MTV held the 2013 Video Music Awards last night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  As usual the event featured a barrage of performances from the top artists today. This year was no different, but MTV pulled out all the stops in terms of booking performers—having signed checks to bring Kanye West, Drake, Lady Gaga, Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus, Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz and more to Brooklyn.

When three-time VMA award winner Kanye West took the stage to perform “Blood On The Leaves” at the Barclays Center, he tied Madonna for the most VMA performances in the show’s history — proving to be one of his most compelling. Again, West was introduced to the stage in low lighting, but he didn’t perform “BLKKK SKKKN Head,” as expected. Moments before he took the stage, West leaked the image online that he would use as backdrop for his performance, a tree that is “used for lynching.”

Drake’s set began rather low key, with him sitting in the audience, sideways, with his gaze to the right while performing “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” He then transitioned into “Started From The Bottom” where he strutted up to the stage and hyped the crowd with a call-and-response rendition of  his VMA-nominated hit. The serene background dominated by a blue sky with white clouds was a re-creation of his recently revealed album art for a forthcoming album, “Nothing Was The Same,” in stores Sept. 24.

 

Lady Gaga opened up this year’s VMAs by putting on her usual, bizarre fashion show. The eccentric pop star changed costumes four times Sunday night during her first return to the stage since hip surgery. She performed her new single “Applause.” The usually unpredictable Gaga, used irony to demonstrate what she thought of her own performance by pumping in boos over the sound system as she opened the song in a white nun’s habit and square headdress. By the time she was finished, she was surrounded by unitard-clad male dancers and was wearing a long blonde wig and a thong decorated in shells.

 

One of the most outstanding and talked about performances of the 2013 VMAs was the bizarre spectacle put on by Miley Cyrus, which made even Lady Gaga look coy. The pop star kicked things off with her song of the summer, “We Can’t Stop,” surrounded by giant stuffed animals. She later stripped off her clothes, before joining Robin Thicke for his chart-topper “Blurred Lines.”  Miley did so much twerking in her flesh-colored bra and underwear, that Kevin Hart was dead on with his onstage quip, “Miley better go get a pregnancy test after all that grinding.” Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz also hit the stage with Thicke to perform his new single “Give It 2 U.”

Watch Miley Cyrus and her twerky antics below.