Beyonce invited mothers of slain African American men to the VMAs

Pop superstar Beyonce on Sunday invited the mothers of slain African American men to the MTV Video Music Awards, where her politically charged Formation won the top prize.

Pop superstar Beyonce on Sunday invited the mothers of slain African American men to the MTV Video Music Awards, where her politically charged Formation won the top prize.

Singer Beyonce arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York.(REUTERS)

Beyonce, dressed angelically in a long glittery silver skirt topped by light blue wings and a staggering amount of jewellery, also brought her daughter Blue Ivy to the music gala at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Singer Beyonce, with daughter Blue Ivy, arrive at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York. (REUTERS)

The singer entered the red carpet silently with the mothers of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin -- all African Americans whose lives were cut short in contested circumstances.

Martin, 17, was killed in 2012 by a white neighbourhood guard, helping trigger the Black Lives Matter movement. Brown, Garner and Grant were all killed by law enforcement.

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The mothers of all four men except Grant appeared in Beyonce’s film Lemonade, which was intertwined with an album of the same name.

Formation, the first single off the album, was the most politically charged track of Beyonce’s career.

Inspired by the bounce hip-hop scene of New Orleans, the video at one point depicts police officers raising their hands as if under arrest.

Beyonce attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AFP)

Beyonce is nominated for a total of 11 awards on Sunday, more than any other artist.

Beyonce Legion, a fan Twitter account that is generally well-informed, said that the singer wore $12.6 million worth of diamonds in rings and earrings.

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