ENTERTAINMENT

VMAS 2016 Highlights

Published

8 years ago

August 29, 2016

The MTV Video Music Awards held Sunday nights, certain moments at the awards still resonate with us the fans, one of the which, was watching Beyonce, Queen B herself dominate the VMAs taking home 8 out of the 11 awards she was nominated for, including Video Of The Year for her controversial song “Formation”.

“Formation,” the first single off her intertwined film and album “Lemonade,” was shot in New Orleans and inspired by the city’s Creole culture, its bounce hip-hop scene and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Beyonce dedicating her award to the people of New Orleans

“I dedicate this award to the people of New Orleans. God bless you guys,” Beyonce told the gala at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Beyonce stole the spotlight by performing for more than 16 minutes songs from “Lemonade,” managing even to change outfits in a set that culminated in the stage erupting in fire.

In one of the most striking moments, a series of gun-shots rang out as her dancers, in angelic white dresses, each dropped to the ground in a red fog.

The video for “Formation,” directed by Melina Matsoukas, had offered solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality with officers portrayed raising their hands as if under arrest.

Beyonce invited to the show, broadcast to more than 120 countries, the mothers of four young African American men whose deaths have galvanized the United States — Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin.

Martin, 17, was killed in 2012 by a white neighborhood guard, a catalyst moment for Black Lives Matter. Brown, Garner and Grant were all killed by law enforcement.

Singer Alicia Keys offered another of the night’s powerful moments as she recited a poem inspired by civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr. who delivered his landmark “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington 53 years ago Sunday.

Alicia Keys

In a year marred by global conflict and a bitter US presidential race, Keys, moving seamlessly from spoken word to a cappella, said: “If war is holy and sex is obscene, then we got it twisted in this lucid dream.”

“Maybe we can love somebody / instead of polishing the bombs of holy war.”

At eight awards, Beyonce tied her contemporary Lady Gaga and Norway’s a-ha — a sensation in MTV’s early years — for the second biggest win in a single night.

Peter Gabriel retains the record, set in 1987 after his animation-driven “Sledgehammer.”

In one of the night’s most anticipated moments, rap superstar Kanye West — who last year used the occasion to declare his intention to run for president in 2020 — delivered a nearly stream-of-consciousness speech about empowerment.

As the audience chanted his stage-name Yeezy, West likened his creative talent to that of Apple founder Steve Jobs and entertainment pioneer Walt Disney, and said that unnamed wealthy white people had warned him not to make the comparison.

Kanye talking Kanye

He defended his “Famous,” also up for Video of the Year, which depicted clean-cut pop star Taylor Swift naked in bed with him despite her complaints about the song.

Also seen naked with West in the video are Republican presidential contender Donald Trump, known for his hardline anti-immigration stance, and fashion editor Anna Wintour.

“We came over in the same boat. Now we all in the same bed,” West said, before clarifying that the on-screen lovers arrived on “maybe different boats.”

West then presented a racy new video for his song “Fade” featuring actress and singer Teyana Taylor, who moved her body sensually in a gym before a steamy shower scene.

The video marked a theme in the evening, if accidental, of sexualized exercise.

Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj received roars of crowd approval for a sensual take on a workout, with the pop singer and rapper dancing together in a stage transformed into a gym full of highly physical young men.

Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj performing on a stage

Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj performing on stage

Drake won in the rap category for “Hotline Bling,” one of the most popular songs of the year.

But Drake did not appear to accept the award. According to the presenter, rap icon Puff Daddy, the Toronto star got stuck in New York traffic.

Drake however did show up to present the Video Vanguard Award — named after late King of Pop Michael Jackson — to Rihanna, in recognition to her contributions to pop culture.

Drake gushed that Rihanna was “someone I’ve been in love with since I was 22.”

The 28-year-old Rihanna put on four medleys of her songs throughout the show in outfits that began with a snug white T-shirt.

In an acceptance speech, Rihanna pledged never to forget her native Barbados.

Rihanna accepting The Vanguard Award, showing love to her hometown Barbados

Rihanna accepting The Vanguard Award, showing love for her hometown Barbados

Singer Brittany Spears slayed on the stage as she performed her new single Make Me with rapper G-Eazy.

vmas 5

Source: dailymail.com

Photo credit: dailymail.com

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ENTERTAINMENT

Falz Speaks About His Worst Date Experience

Published

1 day ago

November 22, 2024

Reporter

Falz Speaks About His Worst Date Experience | fab.ng

Nigerian rapper Falz recently shared a humorous yet awkward story from one of his early dating experiences. During an interview on the Cocktails and Takeaways podcast with British media personality Madame Joyce, Falz recounted a surprising request from his date.

She asked him to order takeout for her family members back home. He explained the situation with his signature humour, highlighting how unexpected and awkward the moment was.

He explained,

“I haven’t had too many date experiences but the worst probably was this girl asking to buy stuff for her family at home, so I wasn’t sure how to feel. This was in Nigeria and I didn’t know whether to feel bad or not. She wanted me to buy takeaway for them, like to buy for each person… So different portions for the members of the family, takeaway for them. I didn’t even know whether to feel bad, because it was like, I came here on a date with you, not the whole family.”

Falz acknowledged that the request felt unusual but considered the possibility that her family genuinely needed the food. “I then sat and thought, What if they’re hungry? We were at a proper restaurant.”

“I feel like there are things that, when it comes to dates, there are things that the person would say directly or indirectly that would make you know whether you want to continue talking to them or not,” he added.

The rapper dismissed the idea that men immediately know if a woman is marriage material on the first date. He elaborated, suggesting that relationships often require time and experience to fully understand a partner’s potential.

He said, “To this day, there is nobody I can say that this is someone I want to marry. I haven’t gotten to that stage yet so I think it’d take a while.”

Check out more updates here.

ENTERTAINMENT

Denzel Washington Opens Up About 15-Year Battle With Alcohol

Published

2 days ago

November 21, 2024

Reporter

Denzel Washington On 15-Year Battle with Alcohol | fab.ng

Hollywood icon Denzel Washington recently disclosed his past struggles with alcohol during an interview with Esquire.

The two-time Academy Award winner candidly shared a fifteen-year pattern of wine consumption. What began as a casual habit gradually escalated into a regular occurrence.

He began, “Wine is very tricky. It’s very slow. It ain’t like, boom, all of a sudden,” he elaborated, recalling how a wine cellar he constructed in 1999 within his home became a place for self-indulgence.

The actor added,

“And part of it was we built this big house in 1999 with a ten-thousand-bottle wine cellar, and I learned to drink the best. So I’m gonna drink my ’61s and my ’82s and whatever we had. Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that’s what was left. And then later in those years I’d call Gil Turner’s Fine Wines & Spirits on Sunset Boulevard and say, Send me two bottles, the best of this or that.”

Washington also delved into his past, acknowledging his youthful experimentation with drugs. However, he emphasized that he never developed an addiction to substances such as heroin or cocaine.

He continued,

“I’m sure at first it was easy because I was younger. Two months off and let’s go. But drinking was a fifteen-year pattern. And truth be told, it didn’t start in ’99. It started earlier.”

A decade ago, as Washington neared his 60th birthday, a turning point arrived. He made the resolute decision to abstain from alcohol completely.

“I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean. Be ten years this December. I stopped at sixty and I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since. Things are opening up for me now—like being seventy. It’s real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter—if I get another thirty, what do I want to do? My mother made it to ninety-seven,” said Washington.

Check out more updates here.

ENTERTAINMENT

It Hurts – Don Jazzy On Not Having A Partner

Published

4 days ago

November 19, 2024

Reporter

Don Jazzy opens up on not having a partner | fab.ng

Renowned music executive and record label boss, Michael Collins Ajereh, better known as Don Jazzy, recently expressed disappointment over his current relationship status.

On Monday, he took to Instagram to share his desire to participate in the popular “suspect challenge.” This social media trend involves couples playfully teasing each other. However, the 41-year-old entrepreneur lamented that he couldn’t join in the fun due to his single status.

“Suspect wants to do suspect challenge but no suspect partner,” he wrote. In the accompanying caption, the music executive lamented that “it hurts.”

This isn’t the first time Don Jazzy has publicly discussed his relationship status. In 2021, he revealed that he married Michelle Jackson, a UK-based writer and model, at the age of 20. Unfortunately, their marriage ended in divorce after two years.

“I fucked it up cos I was giving all my time to my music. Music became a priority instead of my family. We got divorced when I was 22 and it hurt,” he said.

Earlier this year, Don Jazzy explained that he has not remarried as he is currently focused on personal growth and self-development.

“I dey work on myself so that when my head correct, my babe go enjoy me,” he wrote in pidgin English.

A few months ago, Don Jazzy made headlines when a foreign investor acquired his record label, Mavin Records.

In 2004, Don Jazzy and his former partner, D’banj, co-founded Mo’ Hits Records. Following its closure, Don Jazzy established Mavin Records in 2012.

Mavin Records has produced and nurtured a roster of talented artists. They include Tiwa Savage, Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Dr SID, D’Prince, DNA Twins, Ayra Starr, Johnny Drille, Crayon, Boy Spice, Bayanni, Rema, Lifesize Teddy, and Ladipoe.

To commemorate his 37th birthday in 2019, Don Jazzy unveiled the Mavin Creative Studios. The studio is a multimillion-naira mansion serving as the label’s corporate headquarters.

Mavin Records has received numerous accolades, including two consecutive MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Record Label in 2013 and 2014.

The label’s artists have also collaborated with international music stars such as Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Kelly Rowland, and Chris Brown.