The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards took place on Sunday night live from Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center. Taylor Swift picked up the coveted Video of the Year and announced she's releasing a new album. Elsewhere, Johnny Depp appeared in multiple skits because MTV bosses appear to think that a 59-year-old pretend pirate will help win over the Gen Z crowd.
Back to the music, however, and there were a raft of great performances. Nicki Minaj (see above) and Red Hot Chili Peppers, both of whom picked up lifetime achievement awards, played sets encompassing their wide-ranging careers while Bad Bunny, Blackpink, and Måneskin showed the increasingly global approach to pop music in 2022.
There was a strong turn-out for rap, with JID, Flo Milli, Lizzo, and Saucy Santana all performing live either during the main ceremony or the pre-game warm-up show. Eminem and Snoop Dogg performed "From The D 2 The LBC" in a metaverse performance that, against all odds, proved NFTs could become even less cool than previously thought. Jack Harlow also popped up, bringing out Fergie to sing on "Glamorous."
Scroll down to check out all of these performances and more.
