Thug rapper 50
Cent and actress Vivica Fox finally came out as a couple on tonight’s MTV
20th Annual video music awards.
The pair sat in
the capacity audience next to Eminem at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.
On the red carpet,
the rapper appeared at the event in a silvery suit and tie, hat and doo-rag
hand-in-hand with Fox, who was draped in a slinky, form-fitting dress.
The pair had already
been spotted publicly but neither confirmed their status. Fox was married to
a man known as 6’9 because of his height, but the pair were quietly divorced.
In the show monologue,
host Chris Rock joked about 50’s rise to fame and acclaim.
“Music was
so hard to sell [this year] that they had to sell it without mentioning the
music. When 50 Cent album came out, I didn’t hear a damn thing about the
music – All I heard is that he got shot nine times. 50 Cent took more shots
to the face than [p### star] Jenna Jameson.”
Despite his romantic
exterior, 50 showed his street mentality with a rendition of “P.I.M.P”
with Snoop Dogg, a prostitute harem and several real pimps.
Rock also made
a humorous, but socially relevant connection to the show.
“Today is
the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. Isn’t
it good to see his dream came true?”
50 Cent went on
to win a pair of VMA’s for the coveted “Best New Artist”
and “Best Rap Video” awards.
Other winners included
Missy Elliot, who won her first VMA award for "Work It," which snagged
Best Hip-Hop video.
Eminem won Best
Video From a Film for the "8 Mile" anthem "Lose Yourself."
P.Diddy introduced
Rev Run and DMC of the retired rap group, Run-DMC, before presenting 50 Cent
with Best Rap video for "In Da Club."
"I don’t
think God wants us to worry why Jay is gone," Run said. "I think that
we should be more concerned with why we are here."
Nelly, DMX, Murphy
Lee, Redman, Method Man, Lil Jon, Jay-Z and others performed or were presenters.
Below is a partial list of winners. An asterisk denotes a winner.
Video Of The Year
*Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, “Work It”
50 Cent, “In Da Club”
Eminem, “Lose Yourself”
Johnny Cash, “Hurt”
Justin Timberlake, “Cry Me a River”
Best Male Video
*Justin Timberlake, “Cry Me A River”
50 Cent, “In Da Club”
Eminem, “Lose Yourself”
John Mayer, “Your Body is a Wonderland”
Johnny Cash, “Hurt”
Best Female Video
*Beyonce f/ Jay-Z, “Crazy in Love”
Avril Lavigne, “I’m With You”
Christina Aguilera, “Dirrty”
Jennifer Lopez, “I’m Glad”
Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, “Work It”
Best New Artist In A Video
*50 Cent, “In Da Club”
All-American Rejects, “Swing, Swing”
Evanescence f/ Paul McCoy, “Bring Me to Life”
Kelly Clarkson, “Miss Independent”
Sean Paul, “Get Busy”
Simple Plan, “Addicted”
Best Rap Video
*50 Cent, “In Da Club”
2 Pac f/ Nas, “Thugz Mansion”
Eminem, “Lose Yourself”
Ludacris f/ Mystikal, “Move B***h”
Nas, “I Can”
Best Hip-Hop Video
*Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, “Work It”
Busta Rhymes f/ Mariah Carey, “I Know What You Want”
Jay-Z f/ Beyonce, “’03 Bonnie & Clyde”
Nelly, “Hot in Herre”
Snoop Dogg f/ Pharrell & Uncle Charlie Wilson, “Beautiful”
