Rapper Lil’ Mama has apologized for jumping on stage at the 2009 Video Music Awards ceremony after she leaped on stage during the finale performance by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.
“I did not mean any disrespect towards Jay-Z or Alicia Keys. I admire them and look up to them as role models,” she said in a statement. “‘Empire State of Mind’ had my emotions running high. In that moment I came up onstage to celebrate my two icons singing about NY.”
The move comes after the Brooklyn-based rapper had been under heavy public scrutiny. Critics also opined on the move, citing it as nothing more than a publicity stunt.
Earlier in the night, Kanye West got on stage and interrupted an acceptance speech by Taylor Swift. He was reportedly escorted out of Radio City Music Hall, where the show was taped in New York.