Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys and Nelly Win At MTV Video Music Awards

Jet, Sept 24, 2001

Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys and Nelly were among those who took home the coveted moon man award at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA).

Actor-comedian Jamie Foxx was in the driver's seat as host of the musical affair at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

Sexy female trio Destiny's Child won Best R&B Video for its work in Survivor. Last year it won in the same category for the song Say My Name.

Popular rapper Eve, who teamed up with pop star Gwen Stefani on the tune Let Me Blow Ya Mind, won Best Female Video for the collaboration.

Alicia Keys, the classically trained pianist who took the music world by storm with her debut hit single Fallin', won Best New Artist.

Lil' Kim, Mya and Missy Elliott, who collaborated with Pink and Christina Aguilera on the classic remake of the tune Lady Marmalade, won two awards. The wild video, which featured the ladies dressed in colorful outfits as hookers, won for Best Video of the Year and Best Video From A Film. The song was featured on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.

The show also presented awards in the rap and hip-hop category. Nelly walked away with Best Rap Video for the song Ride Wit Me, while OutKast earned Best Hip-Hop Video for the tune Ms. Jackson.

The show hit a somber note when a tribute was paid to late singer-actress Aaliyah, who was to be a presenter at the ceremony. The 22-year-old singer's life was cut short when she died last month, along with eight others, in a plane crash in the Bahamas (JET, Sept. 10).

Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, Ginuwine and Timbaland joined Aaliyah's brother, Rashad Haughton, in remembering the talented performer who won a VMA last year for Best Female Video for Try Again.

Missy, a close friend of Aaliyah's, wore a white jacket with the late singer's image on the back and her name on the sides. "I think what we've got to learn out of this is to appreciate each other while we're here on earth," said the visibly shaken artist. "I love you Aaliyah, and you're forever missed."

A big surprise of the evening came when King of Pop Michael Jackson joined the reigning kings of the boy bands, 'N Sync, during its performance of the hit song Pop. It was Jackson's first performance in front of a U.S. TV audience in years.

Toward the end of the group's song, the words "King Of Pop" appeared on a giant Etch a Sketch. Then it was replaced by a silhouette of Jackson, who emerged when the oversized drawing device was elevated. Jackson did his trademark spins and kicks in grand fashion, making it hard for many to believe that just earlier this year he suffered a broken right foot (JET, March 19). The King of Pop didn't miss a beat.

Performances by Missy, Jay-Z, City High and Jennifer Lopez with Ja Rule also marked high points of the evening. But it was P. Diddy's entrance that topped them all. He arrived atop an 18-wheeler performing his hit Bad Boy For Life.