If Kanye West's Video Vanguard Award acceptance speech at the 2015 MTV VMAs seemed like an unexpected, unplanned talk, that's because it was. According to producers of the annual award show, when accepting his lifetime achievement award, the "All Day" rapper was actually expected to perform a medley of hit.
Van Toffler, the longtime executive producer of the VMAs, spoke with Billboard about this year's award show. And according to him, producers did not know whether or not West was going to perform a medley of hits or just give a lengthy speech until he hit the stage.
"We originally thought Kanye was going to do a medley. Then we thought he was going to not do music and talk. Then, about two acts into the show, we thought he would do a couple-song medley. This is after the show started. Then, about an act before, we found out that he might not do music and just speak -- but we had to be prepared for both, so we had a track cued up. We were in the truck and we heard this 10 minutes before he was to accept the award," Toffler said, revealing that the 38-year-old rapper was keeping people on their toes throughout the show.
Toffler, who revealed that West did not rehearse his 10-plus minute acceptance speech, said that MTV was open to whatever West was going to offer them at this year's VMAs and that even while West was onstage speaking, they thought he may start a performance.
"We weren't sure whether he would break into song or not. We had a track -- he would have rapped to his biggest hits," he said.
Instead, of course, West spoke on stage at length, taking on everything from award shows to Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift to a potential presidential bid in 2020.
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