Kanye West to Return to VMAs for Record-Breaking Seventh Performance

MTV announced today via its various social media platforms that megastar Kanye West is set to perform on the "2013 MTV Video Music Awards" stage LIVE from Brooklyn's Barclays Center on August 25 at 9:00pm ET/PT. Following his performance of "BLKKK SKKKN HEAD," Kanye will triumphantly enter the history books by tying Madonna as the artist with the most VMA performances. Both artists have notched performances at seven separate VMAs. In celebration of the forthcoming performance and feat, MTV Jams, MTV's 24-hour hip-hop music channel and MTV Hits, MTV's 24-hour music channel, will feature an hour block of Kanye West videos and performances from 4-5pm ET/PT. On Wednesday morning, MTV's AMTV will feature playlist of Kayne videos and performances. The announcement was made today from the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and shared across MTV's social channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Vine.

As a three-time VMA award winner, Kanye West has delivered some of the most visually stunning and memorable performances to date including the first look at Watch The Throne - which would become the highest grossing tour in hip-hop history - "Otis" with Jay Z in 2011; the innovative, theatrical staging and visuals of "Runaway" in 2010; his performance debut with auto-tune on "Love Lockdown" in 2008, a sound that would influence and dominate the charts for years to come; the hugely-influential, Daft Punk-sampling "Stronger" and "Good Life" with T-Pain in 2007; the mega-hit "Gold Digger" featuring Jamie Foxx in 2005, and his VMA debut performance with a medley of "Jesus Walks/All Falls Down/Through The Wire" featuring Chaka Khan in 2004. With this forthcoming performance, he will tie Madonna as the artist with the most VMA performances with performances at seven separate VMA ceremonies.

West joins previously announced VMA performer Lady Gaga, who will perform the new single from her highly anticipated upcoming fourth studio album, ARTPOP. Additional 2013 "MTV Video Music Awards" performers will be announced at a later date.

Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead this year's VMA pack with six overall nominations each. Timberlake's nominations include "Video of the Year," "Best Male Video," "Best Pop Video" and "Best Editing" for "Mirrors," while his "Suit & Tie" featuring Jay Z, scored nods for "Best Collaboration," and "Best Direction." Previously, Timberlake has taken home seven "Video Music Awards," including "Best Pop Video" for "Cry Me a River."

Fresh off their show stopping performances at the "MTV Movie Awards" and "mtvU Woodie Awards," Macklemore & Ryan Lewis score their first-ever "Video Music Award" nominations with six nods (tying Justin Timberlake in total nominations) including "Video of the Year" for their SMASH hit "Thrift Shop," "Best Hip Hop Video," "Best Cinematography," "Best Direction," and "Best Editing" for "Can't Hold Us featuring Ray Dalton," while "Same Love" received a nod for "Best Video with a Social Message."

Bruno Mars continues his hugely successful year by garnering four nominations including "Video of the Year," "Best Pop Video," and "Best Male Video" for "Locked Out of Heaven," and "Best Choreography" for the smooth summer groove, "Treasure."

P!nk, Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus and Thirty Seconds to Mars are each up for three Video Music Awards. P!nk's powerful "Just Give Me A Reason" featuring Nate Ruess garnered multiple nominations for "Best Female Video," "Best Collaboration" and "Best Editing." Robin Thicke's sexy video for "Blurred Lines" feat T.I. and Pharrell received VMA nods for "Video of the Year," "Best Male Video" and "Best Collaboration." Miley Cyrus' millennial anthem "We Can't Stop" is up for "Best Female Video," "Best Pop Video" and "Best Editing" while Thirty Seconds To Mars' "Up In The Air" received nominations for "Best Rock Video," "Best Art Direction" and "Best Cinematography."

Other notable nominees receiving multiple 2013 Video Music Award nods range from the worlds of Pop, Hip-Hop, EDM, R&B and Rock and include previously nominated artists such as Taylor Swift, Drake,fun., Calvin Harris, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as well as first-time VMA nominees Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd and Capital Cities.

Winners will take home a special-edition Moonman, re-imagined by world-renowned, Brooklyn-based artist KAWS created exclusively for this year's show.

To build anticipation for the show, MTV launched a successful cross platform social campaign, #RoadToTheVMAs, which features the Moonman in a myriad of iconic locations throughout Brooklyn and NYC. Thus far, the campaign has garnered more than 53 million social media impressions to date including over half a million likes on Instagram, 37.5 million impressions on Twitter, 14.4 million impressions on Facebook and over 1 million impressions on Tumblr. MTV continued its creative use of social media by rolling out the 2013 VMA nominations as a series of imaginative stop motion videos created by 23-year old artist, Khoa, on the @MTV Instagram and Vine accounts.

For additional information on Kanye West, Lady Gaga or any VMA nominated artist, including music, videos, interviews, and news, visit MTV's Artist Platform (Artists.MTV.com) a music discovery site that powers MTV/CMT/VH1's network of 60 million passionate music fans online and 100M homes on-air.

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