Kim Kardashian and Kanye West arrive at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, August 28, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Kanye West, who has often hijacked the live VMA show, presented a new video for his single "Fade." West preceded the video with a rambling, improvised speech that touched on poverty, his wife Kim Kardashian, his long-running feud with Taylor Swift, and violence in black neighborhoods.

"We are undeniably the influencers, the thought leaders," he said, before screening what he called a "piece of my art."

Many of pop music's biggest names, including Justin Bieber, Britain's Adele and Taylor Swift were absent on Sunday.

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