On September 9 , 2007 , West suggested that his race had something to do with his being overlooked for opening the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards ( VMAs ) in favor of Britney Spears ; he claimed , " Maybe my skin 's not right . " West was performing at the event ; that night , he lost all five awards that he was nominated for , including Best Male Artist and Video of the Year . After the show , he was visibly upset that he had lost at the VMAs two years in a row , stating that he would not come back to MTV ever again . He also appeared on several radio stations saying that when he made the song " Stronger " that it was his dream to open the VMAs with it . He has also stated that Spears has not had a hit in a long period of time and that MTV exploited her for ratings
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
Kanye West