Lil Mama, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys onstage at the 2009 VMAs
Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images

During the MTV Video Music Awards on September 13, Lil Mama crashed the stage during the show's finale, the debut performance of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind." Jay called Angie Martinez's Hot 97 radio show to talk for the first time about Mama's move.

"To interrupt that moment for us, I don't think that was the right thing to do," Jay said.

Jay also compared the Mama incident to Kanye West spoiling Taylor Swift's winning moment. "It was a lot of planning that went into that performance. To disrupt that was outta line," he said.

Hov also said Mama's actions angered him, but there wasn't much he could do when she came onstage uninvited. "What I'mma do, fight Lil Mama?"

Mama told MTV News, in the wake of the incident, that she came onstage because she was overwhelmed with inspiration. Alicia Keys told the "Today" show that she and Jay wished Mama had stayed in the crowd. "We can appreciate her being overwhelmed and inspired," Keys said, "but we would have appreciated it if she would have did it from her seat."

Jay is overseas performing, so he won't be on hand when VH1 salutes Def Jam during their "Hip-Hop Honors" program taping Wednesday night (September 23).

"There's a lot of people in Def Jam," he said. "They'll cover for me."

Jay's Blueprint 3 is the #1 album in the country for the second week in a row. For that, he thanked the fans.

• MTV News Raw: Lil Mama Tells Her Side Of The Jay-Z/ Alicia Keys VMA Performance

• Jay-Z
• Lil Mama

Raekwon
Photo: Jerritt Clark/ Getty Images

Recently, Raekwon the Chef took time to reflect on the 2009 VMA stage-crashing incidents while visiting Power 106 radio personalities the L.A. Leakers. He said Kanye West and Lil Mama still take a backseat to the late, great Ol' Dirty Bastard.

"That's his lane," Rae laughed, remembering how Dirty interrupted the 1998 Grammys to protest Wu-Tang Clan's loss. "Dirt Dog did that because he had that suit on that day. Nobody seen Dirt Dog with a suit on before. That was Dirt. I'm sure everybody that's ridiculing Kanye or Lil Mama, Dirt was in that same position. He pioneered that beasting-the-stage sh--."

Rae did say that Kanye's interruption of Taylor Swift wasn't quite as cool.

"Why he do that? That was a f---in' little girl, B," Rae said. "That was some sucker sh--. I ain't respect that right there. I ain't respect that.

"I like Kanye," the Chef added. "He had to be drunk or he felt like, 'F--- that! I own the awards.' I feel that wasn't fair to her as a teenager. To do that against a little white teenager, that wasn't really cool. At least he apologized. When you drinking, you don't know what the f--- you gonna do. They said he had a [bottle of Hennessy] on the red carpet. You know what that Henny will do. That Henny will f--- with you."

Raekwon was confused by Lil Mama's actions as well. He initially thought it was planned for her to get onstage with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.

"Lil Mama was on some Brooklyn sh-- that night, yeah," Rae said. "I thought she was supposed to come out. It is what it is. I looked at it like a Brooklyn thing. She's from Brooklyn, Jay's from Brooklyn. Maybe they were feeling themselves."

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards might have wrapped, but the party is far from over. Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes updates, party reports and much more.

• VMA 2009: The Entire Show On Demand

• Kanye West's History Of Outbursts

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• Ol' Dirty Bastard
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Cobra Starship at <i>Us Weekly</i>'s fashion week party in New York City on Wednesday
Photo: MTV News

VMA nominees Cobra Starship had a good view of Sunday night's most talked-about incidents: one involving Kanye West and Taylor Swift, the other involving Lil Mama, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. The band's perspective on both moments? Crazy stuff is supposed to happen at the VMAs!

"I totally stopped tweeting for about 30 seconds and paid attention," frontman Gabe Saporta joked about when West jumped onstage and hijacked Swift's acceptance speech. "It was kind of surreal. I thought it was planned for a minute."

Guitarist Ryland Blackinton, however, was less surprised, since it wasn't the first time Kanye's acted up at an awards show. "I wondered if it was going to happen because he did it at the [MTV Europe Music] Awards too, and I've watched that video a couple times when Justice won the award," he explained. "And I wasn't as surprised, but it was surreal to see it happen right in front of you."

Blackinton even had some additional eyewitness information about the incident. He revealed that after he jumped offstage, he had another surprise for Beyoncé as if his misguided rant about her "Single Ladies" video wasn't enough. "After he did it, he came back and he kissed Beyoncé on the cheek, as if he had done her a favor," Blackinton recalled. "And you could see on her face, she was like [uncomfortable]. He had half a bottle of Hennessy in him."

As for that other stage attack by Lil Mama during the Jay-Z/ Alicia Keys performance, well, the group still hasn't quite figured that one out yet. "What was up with that with Lil Mama? That was planned too?" Saporta asked and was astonished to learn that it wasn't. "No! She was just like, 'I'm gonna sing for a little bit?' It's cool. Her lip gloss was poppin', so at least that was good."

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards may have wrapped, but the party is far from over. Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes updates, party reports and much more.

• VMA 2009: The Entire Show On Demand

• Cobra Starship
• Kanye West
• Taylor Swift
• Jay-Z
• Lil Mama

Lil Mama
Photo: MTV News

In the moment, Lil Mama thought she and Jay-Z were connecting after she crashed his performance of "Empire State of Mind" during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. However, when she saw the footage of her uninvited appearance online afterward, she realized the superstar wasn't too pleased by her stunt.

When the "Lip Gloss" rapper surprised Jay-Z by walking onstage, he remarked, "Oh, you T-Paining right now, huh," referring to the Auto-Tune singer's unplanned appearance onstage next to Hov at Hot 97's Summer Jam concert during "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)."

"I didn't know what Jay said," Lil Mama told MTV News. "I thought he was like, 'OK, enjoying the moment with me, interacting,' which was after I walked up. But after watching it from home, watching myself on the Internet, I'm bouncing and I'm coming up toward Jay-Z and he's backing up. And my emotions at the time was like a vibe, like, 'Yeah, New York.' I was definitely caught up in the moment. ... Now that I'm home, I was like, 'Wow, Jay-Z wasn't feeling it.' "

Lil Mama has been apologizing profusely ever since. She issued a statement on Monday, apologizing to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys and saying she never intended to offend either artist. She said she hopes to speak with both parties privately to resolve the matter if there was any misunderstanding.

The "America's Best Dance Crew" judge said her hometown pride just overcame her during the performance, and she thought she was honoring Jay-Z by jumping onstage next to him, not ruining his performance.

"I would never get up there and try to disrespect Jay-Z or take a moment that someone else created and try to live it," she explained. "I'm too original for that and I respect him too much for that.

"To Jay in particular, as a Brooklyn native — [which] I am also — in that moment it was nothing but respect and honor," she continued. "It was a joyous moment. Whenever we share happiness or a celebration takes place, usually it's graceful, it's never to disrespect. I never meant any harm. I was enjoying myself and I was enjoying his performance. I got love for him."

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards might have wrapped, but the party is far from over. Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes updates, party reports and much more.

• MTV News Raw: Lil Mama Tells Her Side Of The Jay-Z/ Alicia Keys VMA Performance

• Jay-Z
• Lil Mama

Lil Mama
Photo: MTV News

Lil Mama wants people to know she's a proud New Yorker, and when the "Lip Gloss" rapper saw two of the Big Apple's brightest stars onstage during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, her hometown pride momentarily got the best of her.

Mama walked onstage uninvited during Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' performance of "Empire State of Mind." Her intent was to root Jay-Z on, not disrupt the production, the Brooklyn native said.

"I'm sitting in my seat two rows away from the stage, and Jay-Z is walking through this tunnel and just, like, this adrenaline rush is pumping [through me]," Lil Mama explained to MTV News on Tuesday (September 15). "He started [rapping], and Alicia Keys is going, 'The big lights will inspire you,' and really, I got emotional. Yeah, New York! Jay! I started to feel him, and I started to feel myself. I just felt the energy, and I got up and started walking to the stage. I was just rooting him on as a champion. Bigging up my borough, bigging up my brother."

The "America's Best Dance Crew" judge apologized to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys via a statement on Monday, saying the spirit of the song moved her. She didn't realize until later that Jay-Z might have been upset by her unplanned move. At the time, she thought they were all vibing with each other, despite the legendary rapper backing away from Lil Mama when she appeared.

"If in any way Jay-Z or Alicia Keys feels offended, I want to apologize to both of you," she told MTV News. "I actually would love to have a one-on-one, because I actually felt like I was being felt [for my actions]. I felt like there was a bond. I didn't get a chance to hear what was coming out of [Jay-Z's] mouth. I wasn't trying to be disrespectful. I was just feeling it, and it happened at a moment which happened to be the VMAs, so it was 'wow.'

"I [only] wanted to support Jay, I wanted to be a supporter," she added. "I wanted to stand up with him and tell him he was doing it."

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards might have wrapped, but the party is far from over. Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes updates, party reports and much more.

• MTV News Raw: Lil Mama Tells Her Side Of The Jay-Z/ Alicia Keys VMA Performance
• VMA 2009: The Entire Show On Demand

• Lil Mama
• Alicia Keys
• Jay-Z

Lil Mama
Photo: MTV News

• Lil Mama
• Alicia Keys
• Jay-Z

Lil Mama, Jay-Z, and Alicia Keys at the 2009 VMAs
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

If it wasn't for a guy named Kanye West, Lil Mama might have dominated Monday's headlines with her, er, zealousness at Sunday night's Video Music Awards. The New York-bred rapper/ TV personality got hyped up and jumped onstage with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys during their show-closing performance of Jay's "Empire State of Mind."

Mama came onstage toward the end of the song and even struck a pose with Hov and Alicia Keys, after Jay had gestured for her to chill out seconds earlier and joked she was "T-Paining." On Monday afternoon (September 14), Mama sent MTV News a statement via her manager explaining the incident.

"I did not mean any disrespect towards Jay-Z or Alicia Keys," the statement reads. "I admire them and look up to them as role models. 'Empire State of Mind' had my emotions running high. In that moment I came up onstage to celebrate my two icons singing about NY."

Lil Mama's rep said she may have more to say about the situation later.

Mama caught it pretty hard last night on the Internet. The topic "lilmamais" blew up and was even the top Twitter trend for a few hours.

Fabolous was one of the celebs having fun with the moment, chiming in on his Twitter page. "#Lilmamais like the dude that parachutes down on the field during a game!" Fab tweeted. "#Lilmamais gonna get security at the stages of every award show from now on. #Lilmamais the bird that flew outta Lady Gaga's nest on her face!!"

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards might have wrapped, but the party is far from over. Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes updates, party reports and much more.

• VMA 2009: The Entire Show On Demand

• VMA 2009: Performers

• Alicia Keys
• Jay-Z
• Lil Mama

Lil Mama, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys at the 2009 Video Music Awards on Sunday
Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Jay-Z keeps his cool in even the most awkward situations. On Sunday night at the MTV Video Music Awards, rapper and "America's Best Dance Crew" judge Lil Mama came onstage during Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' performance unannounced and uninvited.

While Jay was ending his final "Empire State of Mind" verse, Mama came up from her seat in the crowd onto the stage and started bobbing her head to the beat. Jay looked surprised but continued to bop to the beat and even kept rapping. Hov patted Mama on the leg to fall back and even threw in a quick joke, saying, "You T-Paining right now," while Keys finished her chorus. The line refers to T-Pain jumping onstage with Jay-Z at Summer Jam during his "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" performance. While Pain said he was asked to get on with the Jiggaman, Jay said in interviews he had no idea the singer was coming out with him.

In Mama's case, she didn't pay attention to Jay's gesture. When it came time to take a triumphant pose at the end of "Empire State of Mind" — a pose meant for Jay and Alicia Keys — Mama came up to the front and stood beside her peers and even did a b-girl pose next to them.

Since her surprise appearance, Mama has caused quite a stir on Twitter. At press time, "#Lilmamais" was the top trending topic.

Fabolous got in on the Twitter fun with a few updates. "#Lilmamais like the dude that parachutes down on the field during a game!" Fab tweeted. "#Lilmamais gonna get security at the stages of every award show from now on. #Lilmamais the bird that flew outta Lady Gaga's nest on her face!!"

Neither Lil Mama nor Jay-Z could be reached for comment at press time.

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards might have wrapped, but the party is far from over. Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes updates, party reports and much more.

• VMA 2009: The Entire Show On Demand

• VMA 2009: Show Highlights

• Lil Mama
• Jay-Z
• Alicia Keys

Janet Jackson at the 2009 BET Awards on Sunday
Photo: John Shearer/ WireImage

LOS ANGELES — From New Edition's scorching Jackson 5 nod opening the show to host Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo's closing number, Michael Jackson's legacy was well represented at the 2009 BET Awards. But most of the stars in attendance at the Shrine Auditorium were in awe of Janet Jackson's touching words expressing her family's grief.

"It was very, very strong; it was very courageous of her," Ciara, who also paid tribute to MJ in song during the night, told MTV News about Janet's speech. "That's what it's about, being strong for your family and being strong, period. Unfortunately, this was unexpected, and you just kind of step up to the plate. I think it was great. They seemed to have a good relationship growing up. ... I'm sure they both used to have each other's back when they needed to. It was beautiful."

Lil Mama, Wale, Teyana Taylor and Gabrielle Union were among the many that echoed Ciara's sentiments about Janet's appearance.

"I was even crying," Taylor said of Janet's brief speech. "I looked up to him. He's the reason why I dress the way I dress today."

Lil Mama, whose mother passed away in 2007, said she identified with Janet's emotions during her appearance on the show. "It was very emotional," she said. "I couldn't imagine losing my babies. My brother's here with me tonight. We already lost our mother. To lose a brother, to lose any family member, it hurts. Right then at that moment, I knew it's really happening. Mike is gone."

While the shock of Jackson's sudden death left many in dismay over the news, "From G's to Gents" host Fonzworth Bentley said Janet's appearance gave everyone a chance to let out some emotions.

"It was a bittersweet show," Bentley told MTV News from the red carpet of the SRC/BET afterparty. "I think I got a chance to get a lot of emotion out. Janet Jackson is one of my favorite artists, period, and to see her literally raise the hair on the back of everyone's neck, what courage. What that says to give of herself and not go into seclusion — [she was saying], 'I know you wanna hear from us, I know you wanna see us, so I'ma come.' And it's a very important awards show, and Michael would have shown up. He did before. It was just an amazing experience."

Alicia Keys said that sitting in the audience, she felt a wave of goodwill throughout the night from those in attendance who were shouting, yelling or doing whatever else they had to do to express their feelings about Jackson.

"There is no way this should have happened without saluting Michael Jackson," Keys said. "This is his foundation. We all grew up on him. He's loved all over the world. You can feel a very high energy here. This show is really genuine and beautiful."

For complete coverage of the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit "Michael Jackson Remembered."

Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below.

• Ciara, Lil Mama Show Support For Janet Jackson
• The BET Awards Honor Michael Jackson
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Lil Mama
Photo: MTV News

New York rapper/ "America's Best Dance Crew" judge Lil Mama, who collaborated with Chris Brown on her song "Shawty Get Loose," spoke with MTV News this week about the singer's alleged altercation with Rihanna.

"I haven't spoken to Chris Brown in a while," she said. "Was I surprised [about what happened]? [I was] very surprised to hear how people went about speaking on what happened."

She said she was most confounded by the way people were commenting on the incident before details — which still have not been fully revealed — had emerged. "[I was] very surprised because there were allegations of Chris Brown and Rihanna having a fight and everyone just went crazy — the media, his fans, her fans. I mean, everybody just lost their minds," she said. "Nobody knows what happens still to this day, but everybody's talking. I don't understand that."

Despite Brown's ongoing legal troubles and the backlash against him in the wake of the incident, Lil Mama said she would work with him again.

"I would definitely record a song or work with Chris Brown at this very moment, I would. That's me."

She added that she still "respects [him] as an artist and I do not know what he's done in his personal life. I've heard allegations. I've seen pictures that might be false, that might be true.

"I have not heard from Rihanna," she continued. "I see her in the media, taking pictures, going to events and living her life as she does normally, so I'm still confused. I don't know what's going on."

Lil Mama did have a message for the pair. "I wish them both the best of luck. I wish them both all of the success in the world, which they deserve," she said. "As far as the way I feel about it, it's very confusing."

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