Nicki Minaj opened the show perched atop a throne sculpted of backup dancers to tear through banger “Trini Dem Girls.” Minaj then segued into her soaring single “The Night Is Still Young” and, though indeed it still was, the surprises started early. Taylor Swift unexpectedly emerged from below the stage to join Minaj for the performance in an epic, chill-inducing squashing of beef. Taylor Swift won four Moonmen, including “Video of the Year” for her sci-feminist epic “Bad Blood” at the 2015 “MTV Video Music Awards”, emerging as the evening’s big winner. Swift also won “Best Female Video” for “Blank Space” and Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars took home “Best Male Video” for their infectious hit “Uptown Funk”.