Drake wins VMA, not there to accept it

Because getting to Madison Square Garden can be a bit tricky, even if you’re scheduled to pick up the VMA you just won.

Here’s some advice if you ever find yourself up for Best Hip-Hop Video at the VMAs (note: you will probably not ever actually be nominated, and it has more to do with math than whether or not you spit fire): Leave early to avoid getting in a traffic jam.

That advice comes to you courtesy of Drake, who supposedly found himself in just that situation Sunday night. He was nominated for that very award for “Hotline Bling,” and if you didn’t think he was winning it, you haven’t seen that video or listened to the radio all summer.

Alas, he was nowhere to be found when Puff Daddy actually announced that he had won (albeit with what seemed like some trouble with the prompter first). Puff graciously accepted the award on Drake’s behalf, saying that he was “stuck in traffic” and that October’s Very Own could visit his crib to pick up the trophy.

Was Drake actually stuck in traffic? I haven’t the slightest idea. For all I know, he had a performance somewhere else on Sunday night, as he is currently still on his Summer Sixteen tour with Future.

On the other hand, it would be pretty hilarious if he really was stuck in a limo somewhere on the way to MSG, hoping to show up fashionably late but not so late that he wouldn’t be present to accept an award that could help him launch a new wave of memes.

One good thing is that he still could win Best Male Video and Video of the Year for “Hotline Bling,” and probably will, so we’ll all see if he manages to figure out a way to get to MSG before the show ends.