PHOTOS Re-Cap and Winner List 2012 VMA’s : Drake, Rihanna, Chris Brown & More Winners

Drake and Rihanna went into Thursday night’s MTV Video Music Awards as the leading nominees, and they didn’t disappoint.

Drake picked up a Moonman trophy in the Best Hip-Hop Video category for his collaboration with Lil Wayne, “HYFR,” and dedicated the award to anyone who was made fun of as a kid.
Drake didn’t specify who he was directing the B-word toward, but it wasn’t the first time his alleged aggression came up during the show.

Host Kevin Hart joked about making mistakes during his opening monologue, and said Drake’s recent fight with Chris Brown was just a misunderstanding about the Toronto emcee’s attempt to recycle.

Meanwhile, Brown also added another award to his trophy case when his “Turn Up the Music” clip was named Best Male Video. Nicki Minaj won the female counterpart for “Starships,” and Rihanna picked up the coveted Video of the Year honor for “We Found Love.”

The 2012 VMAs also featured a number of big-name performances. Frank Ocean made his debut at the award show with an emotional, minimalistic performance of “Thinkin Bout You.”

Alicia Keys, on the other hand, went big for the live debut of her new single “Girl On Fire,” which featured appearances from Nicki Minaj

Gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas.

Likewise, Rihanna, ASAP Rocky, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Pink and others took the stage to perform at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Wiz Khalifa also made an appearance, and gave a shout out to his soon-to-be-born baby with fiancÃ©e Amber Rose. His co-presenter, Kesha, congratulated the couple on what she predicts will be the “hottest” and “coolest” baby ever.