The MTV Video Music Awards returned to the Prudential Heart in Newark on Tuesday evening, as Nicki Minaj hosted an almost four-hour present that included the members of ’N Sync coming collectively to current a Moon Particular person trophy to Taylor Swift (who gushed on to the boy band, “I had your dolls”) and Sean Combs receiving a worldwide icon honor (and telling the group his profession had humble beginnings, as a paperboy). The Brazilian pop star Anitta delivered one of many occasion’s most strong one-liners — “I need to thank myself as a result of I labored so onerous,” she stated in an acceptance speech — which she additionally proved onstage, performing each a solo medley and a collaboration with the Ok-pop group Tomorrow X Collectively. On the finish of the evening, the next 5 moments stood out.

Most Memorable Efficiency: Doja Cat

Certainly one of pop-rap’s most unpredictable voices turned out the evening’s most polished and high-concept efficiency, capturing the nervousness of return to workplace in a glance maybe finest described as “enterprise sexual” whereas surrounded by dancers doused in ghoulish purple paint. The viewers seemed confused and a bit terrified as Doja Cat glided across the stage nailing her marks, the calm in an more and more hectic storm.

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” video dramatizes an awards present efficiency gone fallacious, and although it has 54 million YouTube views, none of these evidently got here from V.M.A.s viewers members like Selena Gomez, who seemed stricken when Rodrigo partly recreated the clip Tuesday evening. After the track’s first part, lights seemingly burst onstage and a curtain fell as a “stagehand” ushered the singer away — solely to return seconds later grinning and performing one other track from her new album, “Guts,” the bouncy “Get Him Again!”

Most Memorable Return That (Probably) Didn’t Entice F.C.C. Consideration: Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s first televised efficiency of their hit “WAP” got here on the 2021 Grammys, and their salacious choreography caught the eye of over 1,000 viewers who complained to the Federal Communications Fee, Rolling Stone reported. The duo reunited final week with a recent collaboration referred to as “Bongos,” and performed it comparatively safer on the V.M.A.s stage. The censors caught many of the profanities and the viewers digital camera caught one of many evening’s many photographs of Swift dancing alongside.

Most Memorable 10-Minute Efficiency Involving Knives: Shakira

Performing a mega medley to have fun receiving the video vanguard award, the Colombian pop star didn’t look like doing a lot stay singing, however her prolonged quantity included loads of choreography, hair flipping, microphone stand tossing, guitar taking part in, a fast wardrobe adjustment, crowd browsing and a elevate bringing her excessive above the group. However a really eye-grabbing second got here midway by, when she wielded two knives, dramatically operating one throughout her torso earlier than tossing them apart.

The Grammys went huge with a tribute to 50 years of hip-hop earlier this 12 months, however MTV’s celebration of rap’s anniversary had some highlights, too: After Grandmaster Flash and the Livid 5, Slick Rick and Doug E. Contemporary gave the group a lesson on the style’s beginnings, Minaj emerged with “Itty Bitty Piggy,” one in every of her beloved early mixtape tracks, then reunited together with her mentor Lil Wayne for “A Milli.” LL Cool J commanded the stage for 2 of his personal songs, then went (shell) toe to toe with Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels on “Stroll This Method.” (The efficiency principally elided the Nineties, however Diddy’s eight-minute efficiency earlier within the evening coated that period.) It was a reminder that MTV was as soon as the house of “Yo! MTV Raps,” and used to spend so much extra time on music.