Wait, what? MTV Video Music Awards to honor Kanye West

By Christine Persaud August 26, 2015

kanye wests instagram wedding photo required 4 days blames annie leibovitz west cannes lions — Image used with permission by copyright holder

My, how the tides have turned. Just six years after Kanye West’s infamous on-stage objections to Taylor Swift’s win for Best Female Video over Beyonce (“Beyonce had the best video of all time!”), the rapper/singer is being bestowed the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the very same ceremonies, reports Variety.

West will be in good company with prior recipients of the prestigious award, which include Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and MJ himself. It’s considered the highest honor for these music video awards. But is West really deserving, or is MTV just afraid he might jump on stage and object if he doesn’t get it?

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Not surprisingly, some fans are lobbying for Swift to present the award. Others are objecting to the very fact that he’s getting it in the first place. But jokes aside, West has had some pretty memorable VMA performances, including his hit song medley in 2004 that featured Chaka Khan and hot tracks like Jesus Walks, and his 2005 performance with Jamie Foxx of that year’s summer hit, Gold Digger.

But West is not known for humility, often decrying himself a god of sorts, for everything from fashion to music and producing. He’s also famously married to celebrity socialite (or whatever you might call her) Kim Kardashian, with whom he’s fathered a child, with another on the way.

Whether you believe West deserves the award or not, no doubt plenty of people will be tuning into the VMAs to see who introduces him, how he’s introduced, and to hear his likely un-humble (and live!) acceptance speech. Perhaps that’s what MTV was after all along by honoring the musician. Though its censors will likely be on edge.

MTV has already attracted plenty of attention to the VMAs by confirming that clothing-optional, tongue-hanging singer Miley Cyrus would be hosting this year. Confirmed performers thus far include Pharrell, Demi Lovato, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, A$AP Rocky, and more, including the first live televised performance of The Weeknd’s Can’t Feel My Face.

But forget the performances: Miley and Kanye together in a live broadcast? It’s bound to be a wrecking ball of a show.

The 2015 VMAs will air live on MTV on August 30 at 9 p.m.

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Christine Persaud

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Christine has decades of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started her career writing exclusively about…

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