2016 : The 2016 show was held at the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan . Rihanna performed four times during the show , including opening and closing the ceremony . After her final performance , Rihanna was presented the Video Vanguard Award by Drake , who declared , " She 's someone I 've been in love with since I was 22 years old . " While accepting her award , Drake leaned in for a kiss that Rihanna dodged . Britney Spears returned to perform at the VMAs for the first time since her heavily criticized performance at the 2007 show . Kanye West gave a seven-minute long speech covering various topics , including his feud with Taylor Swift
2016 show
2016 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Award