VIDEO OF THE YEAR — Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” – Syco Music/Epic Records
VIDEO WITH A MESSAGE — Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA Records
BEST NEW ARTIST — Cardi B – Atlantic Records
ARTIST OF THE YEAR — Camila Cabello – Syco Music/Epic Records
BEST COLLABORATION — Jennifer Lopez ft. DJ Khaled & Cardi B – “Dinero” – Epic Records/Nuyorican Productions
BEST DANCE — Avicii ft. Rita Ora – “Lonely Together” – Geffen Records
BEST ROCK — Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes” – KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY — The Carters – “APES–” – Roc Nation/Parkwood Entertainment – Cinematography by Benoit Debie
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY — Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA Records – Choreography by Sherrie Silver
Logic and Ryan Tedder brought out hundreds of immigrant children and
reunited them with their families during their MTV Video Music Awards
(VMAs) performance on Monday to protest the Trump administration’s
border policies.
Joined on stage by participants from the activist groups National
Domestic Workers Alliance, United We Dream and Make the Road New York,
the rapper wore a shirt emblazoned with the phrase “f– the wall” for the
politically-charged performance of his latest single “One Day.”
Toward the end of the song, a wall at the back of the stage was
raised and dozens more children wearing “we are all human beings” shirts
were “reunited” with the others already on stage, a reference to the
Trump administration’s policy of separating families at the U.S.-Mexico
border.
“We are still in a moment of crisis. Hundreds of children have been
taken away from their parents by the Trump administration and locked up
in detention away from their families,” said Jess Morales Rocketto, a
leader of the Families Belong Together Coalition and political director
of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. “We’re calling for
accountability. Join us in the fight to reunite every family that’s been
torn apart by this administration.”
The performance followed a
music video
for the song released last week, which also tackled the immigration
issue. Directed by Andy Hines, the seven-minute video contrasted the
lives of a Mexican family at the border with a white family living a
happy life in California.
At Monday’s MTV VMAs, rapper Logic, singer Khalid, and their featured
partner Alessia Cara performed suicide-prevention anthem
“1-800-273-8255.” OK, so the title’s not exactly catchy, but the point
is for it to catch on. For the uninitiated, 1-800-273-8255 is the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline‘s toll-free number.
As if the song’s message wasn’t powerful-enough on its own, the
speech Logic delivered afterward made sure there were no dry eyes at the
Los Angeles awards show. The standing ovation the group received was
well-deserved — even if Logic did kind of “demand” it.
A descendant of Robert E. Lee and Susan Bro, the mother of
Charlottesville victim Heather Heyer, appeared during Sunday’s MTV Video
Music Awards (VMAs) to speak out against racism and white supremacy.
Robert Wright Lee IV took the stage to denounce the white
nationalists who protested the removal of a statue in Charlottesville,
Virginia, that pays tribute to the late Confederate general from the
Civil War.
“We have made my ancestor an idol of white supremacy, racism
and hate,” Lee said. “As a pastor, it is my moral duty to speak out
against racism, America’s original sin. Today, I call on all of us with
privilege and power to answer God’s call to confront racism and white
supremacy head on.”
“We can find inspiration in the Black Lives Matter movement, the
women who marched in the Women’s March in January and especially in
Heather Heyer, who died fighting for her beliefs in Charlottesville,” he
continued.
Bro announced that she is launching the Heather Heyer Foundation, a nonprofit to provide scholarships in her daughter’s honor.
“I miss her, but I know she’s here tonight,” Bro said of Heyer, who
was killed when a vehicle plowed into a group of counter-protesters at a
white nationalist rally.
Bro announced that MTV decided to give VMA Awards to all six nominees
in the “Best Fight Against the System” category. Songs nominated
included Alessia Cara’s “Scars to Your Beautiful,” which speaks out
about body-shaming, and John Legend’s “Surefire,” which addresses
immigration.
“I look forward to the important work that they and all of you will
do together to make the world a better, kinder place,” Bro told the
audience of the category’s honorees.
BEST DIRECTION — Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA Records – Directed by Hiro Murai
BEST ART DIRECTION — The Carters – “APES–” – Roc Nation/Parkwood Entertainment – Art Direction by Jan Houlevigue
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS — Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “All The Stars” – TDE/Aftermath/Interscope Records – Visual
BEST EDITING — N.E.R.D & Rihanna – “Lemon” – i am OTHER/Columbia Records – Editing by Taylor Ward
BEST LATIN – J Balvin, Willy William – “Mi Gente” – UMLE/Republic Records
SONG OF THE YEAR – Post Malone ft. 21 Savage – “rockstar” – Republic Records
Jennifer Lopez is set to receive this year’s Michael Jackson Video
Vanguard Award during the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, the singer
revealed Tuesday during an interview with MTV News reporter Sway
Calloway.
But that’s not all, as J. Lo is also scheduled to perform live at
this year’s show in August — marking her first VMAs performance since
2001 — and is nominated for two VMA awards for her latest single,
“Dinero.” Lopez is the most recent in a long line of Vanguard
recipients, including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Guns N’ Roses, Britney
Spears, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Kanye West, Rihanna and P!nk.
BEST HIP HOP — Nicki Minaj – “Chun-Li” – Young Money/Cash Money Records
BEST POP — Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” – Republic Records
[Handed out during the pre-show]
SONG OF SUMMER — Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin – “I Like It”
PUSH ARTIST OF THE YEAR — Hayley Kiyoko – Atlantic Records
