Taking to the same stage as Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and Miley Cyrus, Kimmy tweeted: "Best performance of the night @kanyewest !!!!!!!!!"
Yeezy kept it very minimal with his stint on stage for the first live rendition of Blood on the Leaves.
In contrast to his jolting performances of the Yeezus single BLKKK SKKKN Head which came complete with threatening hooded figures and ferocious barking dogs.
The song began with a very dim light illuminating only 'Ye's face, with the rest of the set shrouded in black, as the haunting refrain of the "Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees" came through the speakers in Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
Not until the beat of the song dropped were viewers finally able to see that Steve McQueen's Lynching Tree was the only thing that Kanye had commissioned as his backdrop for the night.
The painting depicts a tree outside of New Orleans where slaves were once hung, with their graves littered across the ground under the leaves.
Blood on the Leaves samples Nina Simone's 1965 jazz cover of Billie Holiday's 1939 recording Strange Fruit, which was heavy with commentary on racism, slavery and the rise in the number of lynchings in the United States.
As the eerie line "bodies swinging in the Southern breeze" (in other words the "strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees") played back, the rapper\s completely blacked-out outline danced wildly to and fro in front of the painting.
While his leather pants, Pyrex Vision tops and heavy gold chains are usually prominent during his set, things were different tonight.
It wasn't until the song was finished and a dim blue light spotlighted Kanye for his final seconds onstage that fans even get a chance to see his full figure.
The 2013 MTV Video Awards will be shown on MTV from 8pm on Monday August 26.
Full 2013 MTV Video Music Award Winners:
Video Of The Year
Justin Timberlake - “Mirrors”
Best Song Of The Summer
One Direction - "Best Song Ever"
Best Hip-Hop Video
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton - “Can’t Hold Us”
Best Male Video
Bruno Mars - “Locked Out of Heaven”
Best Female Video
Taylor Swift - “I Knew You Were Trouble”
Best Pop Video
Selena Gomez - “Come and Get It”
Artist To Watch Presented by Taco Bell®
Austin Mahone - “What About Love”
Best Collaboration
P!nk feat. Nate Ruess - “Just Give Me A Reason”
Best Video With A Social Message
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - “Same Love”
Best Rock Video
Thirty Seconds to Mars - “Up In The Air”
Best Art Direction
Janelle Monae feat. Erykah Badu - “Q.U.E.E.N”
Best Choreography
Bruno Mars - “Treasure”
Best Cinematography
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton - “Can’t Hold Us”
Best Direction
Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z - “Suit & Tie”
Best Editing
Justin Timberlake - “Mirrors”
Best Visual Effects
Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award
Justin Timberlake
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