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The MTV Video Music Awards are again. And although the ceremony confronted some size, some pacing points, NPR’s Isabella Gomez Sarmiento reviews that the VMAs packed a severe punch last night.

ISABELLA GOMEZ SARMIENTO, BYLINE: A few huge pop stars got long overdue recognition from MTV last night for his or her trailblazing roles in music. Shakira turned the first South American artist to win the video vanguard award, which she celebrated with a 10-minute medley of her career-spanning hits.

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SHAKIRA: (Singing) Oh, child, once you speak like that, you make a girl go mad.

GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Sean Diddy Combs additionally took the stage with a mashup of his personal, showing at the VMAs for the first time in over a decade.

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SEAN COMBS: (Rapping) What y’all need to do? Wish to be ballers, shot callers, brawlers…

GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Diddy obtained the world icon award. Taylor Swift took dwelling 9 awards. However Billboard deputy editor Andrew Unterberger says who wins is not essentially what makes the VMAs thrilling.

ANDREW UNTERBERGER: What individuals are tuning in for now could be the performances.

GOMEZ SARMIENTO: This yr, the rising affect of world music and mainstream pop turned clear as artists from round the world carried out at the ceremony. Peso Pluma introduced Mexican regional entrance and middle.

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PESO PLUMA: (Singing in Spanish).

GOMEZ SARMIENTO: And Ok-pop band Tomorrow X Collectively collaborated with Brazilian pop sensation Anitta.

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TOMORROW X TOGETHER: (Singing) I can see you coming again for extra, coming again for extra, if you happen to stroll out that…

ANITTA: (Singing) Door.

GOMEZ SARMIENTO: One other vital nod to worldwide stars got here when Nigerian singer Rema gained the inaugural greatest Afrobeats award for his music “Calm Down,” that includes Selena Gomez.

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REMA: This implies a lot – seeing Afrobeat develop this huge and being right here on this stage representing Afrobeat tonight. I am so comfortable.

GOMEZ SARMIENTO: However Unterberger says the ceremony had one huge downside.

UNTERBERGER: Yeah, properly, I imply, almost 4 hours is simply too long for any award present.

GOMEZ SARMIENTO: It wrapped up with a 50th anniversary of hip-hop tribute, together with Grandmaster Flash and LL Cool J.

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GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Unterberger says it might need been a missed alternative, in a yr of so many hip-hop tributes, for the VMAs to look ahead – giving GloRilla, Kaliii, or greatest new artist winner Ice Spice an opportunity to carry out as an alternative.

UNTERBERGER: And these are the artists which can be form of going to, you realize, create the vanguard for the subsequent technology. And this may have been a terrific second for the VMAs to take the level to form of present them off and say, OK, this is what’s coming subsequent.

GOMEZ SARMIENTO: There’s all the time subsequent yr.

Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR Information.

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LL COOL J AND DARRYL MCDANIELS: (Rapping) …As much as the ceiling. We groove it, you progress it, it has been confirmed. We calm the savage beast as a result of our music is soothing. We create it, relate it and infrequently display it. We’ll diss a sucker MC, make the different suckers hate it…

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