Top 10 Performances By Latinos At The MTV VMAs Through The Years

The MTV Video Music Awards are back on Sunday, August 27, 2017. This award was originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards in the video category, and eventually it turned into the biggest pop culture event of the year, often called the "Super Bowl for youth," thanks to the show's ability to draw millions of youth from teens to 20-somethings.

Through the years, the show has had amazing performances. Who could forget the first time Britney Spears appeared at the VMAs in 1999 along with NSync? Or any other Britney performance ever since, from amazing ones like "I'm A Slave For You" or the "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" and "Oops... I did it again" medley to her worst performance ever (remember "Gimme More?"). How about Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" that was even banned from YouTube for a while because of it being so graphic, although it truly was a masterpiece in the artistic point of view.

Yes, MTV has delivered some great stuff through the years, and even before they branched out and created the Latino version of the VMAs, the Latin presence at the award show was beginning to grow. We've gathered up the top 10 performances by Latinos at the VMAs, with videos included!

10- Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule, "I'm Real" at the 2001 VMAs.

JLo definitely showed us some great Latino dance moves, to then introduce us to her more "gansta" side partnering up with Ja Rule. These were the times when the artist filled the whole stage with their presence and didn't need a lot of props or special effects to make their performances cool. All eyes were on JLo as she showed off her toned body, and Ja Rule didn't stay behind, since he performed shirtless, displaying some hot abs!

9- Don Omar, Tego Calderón and Daddy Yankee at the 2005 VMAs.

First of all, this was a historic moment, not only because reggaeton was being introduced into pop culture, but Don Omar, Tego Calderón and Daddy Yankee performed on the same stage for the first time. It definitely was a night of firsts! Each one of them performed a little of their most popular songs at the time, and we loved the fact that Spanish took over a mostly English event!

8- Shakira featuring Alejandro Sanz, "La Tortura" at the 2005 VMAs.

It looks like 2005 was the Hispanic year at the award show because Shakira took the stage and performed her song "La Tortura" in Spanish with Alejandro Sanz. And Shaki definitely left us speechless with her sexy moves.

7- Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo and Nayer "Give Me Everything" at the 2011 VMAs.

Pitbull's first time at the VMAs and he left quite an impression. Although this was a very "Americanized" performance, compared to what he was used to do before he became mainstream, he fit right in and everyone loved seeing him on stage. This was just the beginning for Mr. Worldwide, who definitely became a worldwide sensation.

6- Ricky Martin "She's All I Ever Had" and "Livin' La Vida Loca" at the 1999 VMAs.

Ricky had just made his crossover and he was on fire! At the beginning we thought it was going to be a mystic performance, slow and focused on the vocals, but eventually it became a party and you definitely gotta see some of Ricky's best moves on full display during that performance.

5- Shakira "Objection" at the 2002 VMAs.

It was Shakira's first time performing at the VMAs and she made quite an impression. She had just successfully crossed over the anglo market, and she made sure everyone knew her name and songs. We love that she always brings some sort of Latin flavor to her performances and in this one in particular, she managed to crowdsurf and return to the stage with the most perfect timing.

4- Angie Martinez, Lil' Kim, Da Brat, Missy Elliot and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes "Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix)" at the 1997 VMAs.

Radio personality Angie Martinez has had a prolific career that includes major collaborations with important recording artists. This included Lil' Kim's remix of her song "Not Tonight," which also featured another Latina, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes from TLC. The two Latinas, along with Lil' Kim, Da Brat and Missy Elliot delivered a kick-ass performance that proved Girl Power was not only for Spice Girls at the time, and definitely proved ladies are as good or better than men when it comes to putting up a rap performance.

3- Christina Aguilera "Hurt" at the 2006 VMAs.

One of Christina's most beautiful performances at the VMAs. Her vocals were flawless, she looked amazing in that red dress, and she didn't even need to stand up and move around to fill up the stage. Her presence did it all and this is one of the most emotional performances you'll ever see.

2- Fat Joe featuring Terror Squad. "Lean Back" at the 2004 VMAs.

Ok, maybe Fat Joe does not have the same vocal abilities as Christina Aguilera, but he definitely got the house dancing. Even Bruce Willis and Diddy got up their seats and enjoyed this performance. JLo and Marc Anthony looked pleased that their fellow Boricua was representing Latinos in such a lively way, LL Cool J was rapping along and Usher was definitely showing some love too!

1- Bruno Mars "Gorilla" at the 2013 VMAs.

Bruno is a true artist. Although he only has a quarter of Latino in his blood, we will add him to this list because he's plainly amazing. Even if you don't like his music, you gotta admit, his vocal performance is always flawless, and although he's a shorty, he definitely fills up a whole stage by standing on it. He truly gives it all whenever he's performing and that makes watching him very appealing.