Rihanna Kicks Off the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards With a Medley of Some of Her Best Hits

Bad Gal performs a medley of her top songs to open the show

By Kendall Fisher Aug 29, 2016 1:26 AMTags

Who better to kick off one of the biggest nights in music than the bad gal herself?!

That's right, Rihanna took the stage first at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, which is totally fitting considering she will take home the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award later on in the show.

Leading up to the show's opening, almost everyone on the red carpet admitted she was the person they looked forward to seeing the most, and she definitely did not let them down.

The Barbadian singer took the stage and performed a medley of her hit songs, including "Don't Stop the Music," "We Found Love" and "Where Have You Been."

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She donned a white and red ensemble, wearing a shirt that read "Hood by Air" and a teeny tiny corset leather bottom with matching leather chaps.

RiRi showed off her baddest dance moves throughout the entire performance, getting the crowd up and on their feet to dance along. 

However, that wasn't bad gal's last performance of the night. She hit the stage not once, not twice, but three more times!

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When Rih took the stage for a second time, she performed a medley of of "Rude Boy," "What's My Name" and "Work" alongside tons of other dancers, turning it into a club-like atmosphere. In fact, she donned a pair of silk jogger pants, a Do-rag and a pink bra accented with fur.

For her third performance, Rihanna hopped on the mike in an all-black ensemble with thigh-high boots and sang "Needed Me," "Pour It Up" and "Bitch Better Have My Money"—all accompanied by her badass Rih-like dance moves.

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Finally, Rih closed the show with a jaw-dropping performance of "Stay," "Diamonds," and "Love on the Brain," which she absolutely killed.

Following her last performance, Drake came out on stage and presented her with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard awards (and subsequently told her he loved her on live television).

 

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The Video Vanguard Award is MTV's highest achievement of the night. It will honor RiRi for her decade-long impact on music, pop culture, fashion, film and philanthropy.

Previous winners include Michael Jackson,Madonna, Beyoncé, Kanye West and Britney Spears. "Honored to take the #VMAs stage as your video #VANGUARD award recipient LIVE from NYC on August 28!" she tweeted after the news broke.

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