Only Kanye West could succeed in tearing apart the whole concept of awards shows while accepting the most prestigious gong MTV bestows.
The outspoken rapper took to the stage to pick up the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for lifetime achievement at last night’s Video Music Awards before launching into one of his characteristically lengthy speeches.
To illustrate his point that such ceremonies are pointless, Kanye drew upon a 2007 memory of seeing Justin Timberlake crying after losing out in the Album of the Year category. Because JT should not be thinking of himself as a loser, alright?
Kanye West's greatest self comparisons
“I sat at the Grammys and saw Justin Timberlake and Cee Lo lose. Gnarls Barkley and the Sexyback album,” he recalled. "Justin, I ain’t trying to put you on blast, but I saw that man in tears bro, and I was thinking, like, he deserved to win Album of the Year.
"I still don’t understand award shows. I don’t understand how they get five people who work their entire life, sold records, sold concert tickets, to come, stand on a carpet and for the first tie in their life, be judged on a chopping block and have the opportunity to be considered a loser. I don’t understand it bro!”
Being Kanye, he rambled on about "dying for the artists' opinion" before concluding that he would be running for president in 2020. But of course.
Kanye's wacky speech was not lost on JT, who tweeted about his shout-out and declared his love for the "world's greatest living rockstar" shortly afterwards.
Kanye is so cute, y'all.
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) August 31, 2015
Btw... I JUST watched my man 'Ye's FULL speech... He always has a point. And I support it. #truth
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) August 31, 2015
Taylor Swift was the big winner, taking home Video of the Year for "Bad Blood", while Kanye picked up the moonman for Video with a Social Message for "One Man Can Change the World" with Big Sean and John Legend.
Check out the winners list in full here.
