The Breakfast Club - Mariah Carey & Busta Rhymes receive their 1st Video Music Award EVER.. this is ridiculous! + Gunna does 1st ever  VMA half time

Episode Date: September 8, 2025

The VMAs were hot and Loren covered all of it! From the Mariah, and Busta to Gunna and Doja as well as touching on all of the other amazing performances and speeches! And the things that were missing — like an RIP tribute to Forman MTV Host Ananda Lewis YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I'm a homegirl that knows a little bit about everything and everybody. You hear that exclusive? I don't know if you don't lie about that, right? Lauren came in hot. Hey y'all, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa, and this is the latest with Lauren LaRosa. This is your daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment news, exclusives, and all of the conversations that shake the room, baby.

Now today, y'all know I love it when we have some things that intertwine in between all of them. So today, we're going to be getting into like some pop culture things, entertainment news. But I believe that, you know, the conversations we're going to have here. We'll shake the room a bit. I probably will hear from you guys online. My lowriders, you guys know I love to hear from you. So make sure you get in the streets and in the tweets. If you have something you want to say, you're responsible we about to be talking about.

So the 2025 VMA Awards, video music awards, went down here in New York. York. Starts at night, as it always is. I mean, pulling up on the carpet, you had Sierra Doja Cat. Doja Cat actually had a moment on her carpet because she ate her lipstick and people were still trying to figure out how, but she looked good. You had Summer Walker pulling up on the red carpet with a new boo who is like a 60, 70 year old white guy. She said, F her type. She told us that a couple months ago. And I've actually been told, because I thought this was a joke. I thought it was something to like promote the song that she has. But I've actually been told that they are actually dating. It's only been a few weeks, but she's going sugar baby from

here on out. She is tired, okay? But we did hear some good news on the carpet because Summer Walker told us that the music is on the way. Now, leaving the carpet and heading on into the awards, it was a night. Y'all know that there's always, like, when you do VMAs or, you know, whatever, the Grammys, there's always some parts of the award ceremony where you're like, who the hell is this? But the crazy thing. about this year's award is, I feel like people were asking in the audience and online, who is this to the wrong people? Like, y'all know here, the latest with Lauren La Rosa, we live, we thrive, all things, black culture, hip-hop entertainment. But I mean, pop culture is my digest

and hip-hop is a popular culture, but that means we talk all things whenever it makes sense for us to do so. Yesterday, when I was watching the VMAs, I was. just kind of like dumbfounded because I feel like whoever filled the seats, like the seat fillers themselves, you could tell them people did not know who the hell a Buster Rhymes was. And it was embarrassing to watch. So the night kicked off with, you know, opening performances. You had L.L. KooJ who was hosting the awards, which is always like, you know, seeing LL KooJ anywhere is always epic. But you had LL KooJ hosting the awards. It makes sense. It's very New York. They were, you know, paying tributes with some very memorable names.

in hip-hop and in music, Mariah Carey, Buster Rhymes, as I mentioned before, and L.L. Kool-Jay opens the show. Now, as L.L. Koo-Jat opens the show, Dojikat, there's like this, like, glitch. And at first, you really think, like, when I was watching, I really thought something was wrong with L.L. Koojay's broadcast. But I'm like, yo, L.L. I've been doing this for, like, 30 years at this point. There's no way that a teleprompter is going to stop him from, like, continuing a whole show, because he literally stopped mid-sentence. But there's a glitch that comes on the screen, and then Dojicat cut. comes up. Let's take a listen. That's right. We're making history, so let's get this party started.

Right now I want to bring to... I'm doja cat. Not to be rude, but I just like to interrupt. Can everyone sit down? I doubt it. Not in that dress. I've got something really special at my sleeve featuring me and Kenny Gigi. So sit back, relax, and turn the volume up to full mouse. So then after this,

Doja Cat goes into full performance. Now, here's the beauty of, like, pop culture and when we get to say, like, hip-hop is a popular culture. I feel like there's not ever really a box of things that you can put our artist into because you have an artist like a Doja Cat who is extremely, extremely what some people would consider pop. And she did a hell of a performance and displayed all of those chops on that stage. But also, you could put sis on her.

People will argue that Dojie Cat is top female rapper. as well too. So watching her last night, I'm like, man, the way that the culture, like, you know, and hip hop and our artists are able to fit, mix, mingle, mold, and create the mold and have been doing that for so long because I'm looking at L.L. Koojee, who is hosting a VMAs, who is now, there are people who don't even know LL KooJ as a rapper. Like, there are generations who don't understand LL KooJ as the rapper. They know him as an actor. But he's here, and he's hosted in VMAs. And then you have a Doja Cat who,

there are people who do not have rap conversations about Doja Cat, but you're looking at Doja Cat on the stage and she is giving super pop star, you know, that she is. But the night carries along and then we get into the honoring of the artist. So Mariah Carey received the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award, which is the prestigious award of the night at the VMAs. Now, she received this award and she shared a few remarks. I'm going to be honest.

And I think we have these. conversations all the time with these award ceremonies. I was disappointed at the VMAs by the time this part hit because I learned that Mariah Carey had never received a video music award, neither had Buster Rhymes, which it's sad that I have to explain why a Buster Rhyms not receiving a video music award ever in his career, right? 30 plus years of his career is insane, but we'll get into it when we get there, but let's take a listen to Mariah Carey. Thank you so much, MTV, for giving me the Vanguard Award. I can't believe I'm getting my first VMA tonight.

I just have one question. What in the Sam Hill were you waiting for? I'm kidding. I love you, MTV. I love you so much. This is amazing. Being here brings back amazing memories, like when I presented L.L. Cool J, his Vanguard Award. or when Whitney Houston and I opened the show with a faux standoff, and we were both, like, had our dresses and we were like, try it on me! It was a moment. Music videos are my way of life.

Now, Mariah Carey, in the beginning of that clip, she's speaking to someone that said, I'm so proud of you. She was talking to Ariana Grande because Ariana Grande presented her with the award, which Ariana Grande had talked about on the carpet prior to even getting in the venue, excited she was to see Mariah Carey. Everybody was excited, you know, that night to see Mariah Care. Like, everybody was excited. Mariah Care performed. She did a bunch of her different hits. Now, I thought it was fired that she opened up with the fantasy remix with ODB because it was very New York, very hip-hop. And I think sometimes because, you know, again, we're talking about

the ability of hip-hop artists and, you know, R&B artists to almost be like camillions and, like, broaden their wings and expand. People have this conversation. about J-Lo all the time, like, what odd or what nod does J-Lo owe to the culture because she began in a realm that was very hip-hop, but now J-Lo is looked at as this huge pop culture artist, but when you talk about Mariah Carey, the same can be said like there. She is huge. Mariah Carrie is Mariah Carey. She is Miss Christmas song. But when you think about her beginnings, Mariah Care has always been a fan of rap, like always. Some of her biggest songs were inspired by, like, Wu-Tang. I believe it was the Wu-Tang Cream.

One of the very first songs she did with Jermaine Dupree was inspired by that song. But I thought it was fired as she opened up with the fantasy remix and she let ODB's voice be heard on that stage, you know, recipes to him. Because she didn't have to. She could have cut that part out. But I think it's her paying tribute to her roots here in New York, understanding where she came from. She also did, honey. She also did, it's like that, y'all, we belong together. She did a whole ton of the things, okay?

And then after that, you know, show continued. used. But the next big moment, in my opinion, you have Buster Rhymes who does a whole medallia songs. He brings out Papuos. He brings out Gloverla and Joanna Lucas. People were very surprised to see those two. But he also gives a speech. And in his speech, he remembers Ananda Lewis, who was a huge MTV Vijay that there was no mention of her from the pre-show to the carpet to the entire show itself. And they did attribute to Ozzy Osborne. So it's not like they didn't want to do these tributes to, you know, people who have recently passed. They did a whole tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.

There were a lot of people who felt like there should have been a tribute for Ananda because she was MTV. Like she was the VJ. She was the face. She ushered in so many, especially like the music that was ours, the black music, the hip-hop. She fought for our music there, which is why Buster Rhymes took the time. Let's take a listen to Buster Rhymes. Thank you, King.

Elle, thank you for being my hero, one of my greatest inspirations, the reason I wrote my first round. L.L. Koojay. Y'all know I usually do these long speeches. I'm not going to do one today. But next time y'all take 35 years to give me one of these, you don't let me talk as long as I want. But let me get straight to it. Sierra, I love you. Yo, Godi, salute.

Mona Scott Young, thank you for being a mother in my career. I want to thank my mother. I want to thank my father. Rest of peace, dad. What praise is due to the most high God is the greatest. I want to thank my beautiful children. I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me.

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Nobody tells you anything. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I want to take a minute because, so this is what I've been trying to figure out, right? He says, the next time you'll take 35 years to give me, right? And when he said that, I'm watching a show. And I'm instantly like, wait, I know Buster Rhymes ain't saying this is the first time he then touched a Moomin, a VMA award. There's no, Buster Rhyme's career. I mean, the music is epic.

The span of his career is epic. Again, we talk about the ability to move and shake. He's gone from music to act. acting to like, you know, all of that is epic. But he is known for being the architect of the music video for his era. It's him and there's Missy Elliott. And then there's so many acts to follow. Like we wouldn't have ludicrous doing what he did and moved, get out the way. We wouldn't have, look, people even talk about the baby's music videos and how over the top they are. We wouldn't have those moments without bust the rhymes, making it a normal thing for you

to really see all of the effects and the big and the boldness of a music video. So I'm like, I know he is not saying what I think he is saying. And then I looked it up. Not only did I look it up, but I couldn't because, you know, Google going to tell you anything and now I don't even be trusting Google AI anymore. Google AI and Stere me wrong a couple times. But when I looked it up, it gives you a breakdown from 1996 all the way to 2005. And I saw nominated in 1996 for Wu, how I got you all in check.

Then in 1998, put your hands where my eyes could see. He was nominated for Breakthrough Video, Best Mail Video, Best Rap Video, and then Best Choreography. And then in 99, what's it going to be featuring Janet Jackson, which is, like, I can't even believe that I'm saying this out of my mouth, that these videos never won these awards. He was nominated for Best Hip Hop Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects, That is Bust the Rhymes, the Special Effects, the Art Direction. best art direction give me some more nominated best breakthrough video I can go on and on and on and on

nominated and I didn't see one anywhere and I'm like y'all this is no way like Wikipedia and Google have to be wrong so I hit Buster Rhymes team and I said hey I'm watching the VMAs right now Buster Rimes just said the next

and this is another thing too he said the next time you all take the 35 years to you know I'm a talk as long as I want because Buster Rhymes does give his long motivational speeches whenever he's honored, and that's been a thing over the last couple years. But it was very jokingly about it. Mariah Carey, it was very jokingly about it.

These are huge artists that careers have literally changed the way people do things and go about their music videos and their careers. I'm like, what? They hit me back and they say, oh, no, Lauren, you're 100% correct. That was his first time ever receiving an award on the VMA stage. He is nominated to be never won before this year in 2020. He took home the first ever Rock the Bell's Visionary Award. And for those of you guys who don't know what Rock the Bell is, that is a, it's an organization,

but it's also a whole music festival. And, you know, they have a platform as well across digital radio created by L.L. Kool-Jay. And the reason why Rock the Bell is so special is because it was created to make sure that things like what I'm talking about don't happen. He is giving platform and continuing to help artists who come from certain time periods and certain eras, be able to still work and get there just due. He gives them percentages of his festival. He has helped create, you know, radio shows for people like Roxanne Roxanne, Roxanne Chate, like there, he does amazing work with the platform. I wouldn't be surprised if, you know, at this

point, LL CoolJ has so much pool when it comes to VMAs and all the things that he fought for this award himself. Because I don't understand who over there MTV has never understood why Bust the Rhymes should be, you know, deserving of a video music award. But thank God that somebody got smart and listened to LL Kudj this year, because what in the hell are we doing if Buster Rhymes, they never got that award.

Now, speaking of what the hell are we doing, we're going to take a little segue here because one of the final moments, or not final moments, but the other big moments of the evening was gonna, I was surprised to see the video music awards throw Gunna so much. I mean, I'm gonna,

I listened to his music. I know, you know, last one, his album is doing very, very well right now. But they censored a lot around him. So Gunna dropped an Under Armour commercial, literally online, like a preview of it, right before the VMAs began. Then Gunna walked the carpet of the VMA awards. He looked amazing. And then there was a halftime performance that happened for the first time ever at the VMA's,

and it was Gunna in Under Armour. Now, I say this because I think the timing is very timely for the VMAs, but it's ironic that all of this young thug gun and stuff is happening. And I don't know how far out you plan a VMA award and something like what Gunna did. But a lot of this stuff is pre-taped too. So I don't know, you know, what the timeline was. But I'm like, hmm, this is very timely, another way to get us talking about the VMAs. Let's take a listen to Gunna's half-time performance. Half-time at the VMAs is about to be a problem.

But yeah, I thought that was really, really timely. I mean, again, don't get me wrong. I know Gunna is great music artists. I'm not saying the VMAs needed the hype. But the way that they inserted themselves in that conversation, because literally Young Thug just sat down with Bank out of Atlanta and talked about how Gunna says literally nothing. to speak his peace on their whole situation and explain what he did.

And then the next time we see Gunna, he's literally saying absolutely nothing, acting like life is all good. I mean, and it's been looking all good. He just did the 5K raise. He's at the VMAs on the carpet with his girl looking good. He got the underarmor partnership right on time for, you know, this whole mental health and mental and physical wellness branding that he's been doing. He living life like it's golden right now.

But I just thought it was like very ironic that the VMA's, was kind of able to play into that whole, you know, gunning saying nothing, conversation that we had been having because of the sit-down interview, the exclusive interview that Thug had just did with Bank for the prospective show out of Atlanta. But that was the VMA's, you know, some honorable mentions. Kenny G. performed. When Doja Cat performed, he was, you know, the music accompanying her. Sabrina Carpenter performed as well. I actually love Sabrina Carpenter. And I'm not like, like, I don't really get it. into all of the girls. Like I can't really

Taylor Swift, I like her as a business, but I would never just like turn on her music. But I actually like Sabrina Carpenter. And when I watched her performance yesterday, she's just so cute. I like to look at her. Lott on Ice Spice came out as well. You guys know they have the new song, got that they're promoting. We still don't even

know how they link back up because they like vacated each other forever. But they were on stage as well playing into that. And this was the first year ever that the show was on CBS. This was the first time ever. You guys know that they just did that whole new merger with CBS and Skydance and all the things. So good show overall. I just, you know, I think that this show really screamed and echoed just how amazing we are as like

black culture creators and entertainment and just how slow the world still is. Like I still cannot believe that this was the first year that Buster Rimes, Mr. Video, the architect of the music video storytelling. This is the first year that he receives a video music award. And it wasn't even, I mean, it was a video musical where he got a moon man. But technically, it wasn't even for like a video. It was for his whole career. Listen, I'm going just let it go because I could go for a whole other hour. This has been the latest with Lauren of the Rose.

I hope you guys enjoyed the breakdown. If you watched the VMAs, if you tuned in, you know, let me know how you feel about it. I do think that it was a huge miss for the VMAs not to at least show a photo and take a moment in, you know, the venue for Ananda Lewis. I also think just crazy. for artists like a Mariah Carey and a Buster Rhymes, I'm going to say it's for the fifth time to be able to get on the stage and talk about what they have yet to receive up until this point in 2025. These are artists who have been around since before I was even freaking born.

That was crazy as well. But I mean, maybe, look, do we appreciate the inclusion in the finally of the moment? Like, finally, 35 years later, Buster Rimes is getting his just dude on that stage. Finally, all this time later, Mariah Carey can say, hey, I have a movement. Do we care to, you know, give them the nod and say, thank you or do y'all feel like it's a little bit too late i want to hear from you guys make sure you go and find me i'm loren la rosa everywhere l-o-r-r-e-n-l-o-r-r-o-sa at the end of the day there's always so much to talk about and i tell my lowriders y'all could be anywhere with

anybody talking about it but y'all choose to be right here with me every single episode and i appreciate you guys for it i will catch you in my next episode Short on time, but big on true crime. On a recent episode of the podcast, Hunting for Answers, I highlighted the story of 19-year-old Lechay Dungey. But she never knocked on that door. She never made it inside. And that text message would be the last time anyone would ever hear from her.

Listen to Hunting for Answers from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. In sitcoms, when someone has a problem, they just blurt it out and move on. Well, I lost my job and my parakeet is missing. How is your day? But the real world is different. Managing life's challenges can be overwhelming. So what do we do?

We get support. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council have mental health resources available for you at loveyourmindtay.org. That's loveyourmindtay.org. See how much further you can go when you take care of your mental health. I was diagnosed with cancer on Friday and cancer-free the next Friday. No chemo, no radiation, none of that. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business,

and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Professionally, I started at Deadwell Records. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture Raises Us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or where wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Dr. Joy Hardin-Bradford, host of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast. I know how overwhelming it can feel if flying makes you anxious. In session 418 of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett and I discuss flight anxiety.

What is not a norm is to allow it to prevent you from doing the things that you want to do, the things that you were meant to do. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast.