The Video Music Awards are MTV's annual award show honoring the best of music videos; they are typically well-known for over the top and risky performances, as well as a good amount of drama. From Kanye West calling out Taylor Swift for being undeserving of her award for female video of the year in 2009, to Miley's shocking performance with Robin Thicke in 2013, you can always expect something from the VMAs. This year was no different. In case you missed it, here is my recap of some of the highlights, most shocking moments, celeb drama and the biggest winners.
1. Cardi B making money moves
Let's start with Cardi B, who is the most popular up and coming artist. She leads the pack with the most nominations, in 10 different categories. She ended up winning best collaboration, Song of the Summer, as well as Best New Artist. It is hard to believe that Cardi B is still considered a new artist, with having already released an album earlier this year that included multiple chart-topping hits, with features from popular artists. Cardi B made her mark with her single "Bodak Yellow," which was released a little over a year ago and has seen great success in a relatively short duration of time. With everything she has done in the past year, it was no surprise that she did so well at the show. People love Cardi B not only for her music, but also for her funny and one-of-a kind persona, and I predict that we can expect a lot more from her in the future.
2. JLo
Jennifer Lopez was another artist who was a star of the 2018 VMAs, accepting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award, which is a lifetime achievement award given out by MTV. Her 10-minute performance was complete with all of her hit songs from the years and her signature dancing; in my opinion, it was definitely one of the highlights of the show. JLo proved that she is still in her prime, and is still a force in the music world.
3. God is a Woman, and it's Ariana Grande
She is the woman of the hour, and her appearance at the VMAs was no expectation. After releasing an album days ago, to her recent and fast engagement to fiancé Pete Davidson, Grande is someone who has been all over the media this summer. She took home the award for Best Pop with song, "No Tears Left to Cry," and also took the stage to perform her song, "God is a Woman." She was the star of the show; I feel like every 5 minutes, either the cameras would pan to her in the audience with her fiancé, she would be performing or getting a shout-out from other artists, such as Nicki Minaj. She has really come a long way from her initial work on Nickelodeon.
4. Kylie and Travis Vs. Nicki
The VMAs wouldn't be complete without a little drama. And, this year, it was Nicki Minaj coming for Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott. Although Kylie isn't a singer herself, she still managed to get roped into the drama of the music industry. Before the VMAs, Nicki was upset that Kylie was promoting Travis Scott's album and upcoming tour. She claims Kylie was using her celebrity to boost his new album, "Astroworld." She called Scott out, stating that she deserves to have the #1 album with her new album "Queen," not him. This got even more awkward when Kylie and Travis were supposed to sit directly behind Nicki at the VMAs, but, instead, when Nicki left the venue to go to her performance, Kylie and Travis came in and took their seats, so the meaning that the three never ran into one another at the awards show. Also, it seems that Travis gave a little jab to Nicki after his performances, saying his "#1 album 'Astroworld' is out now" emphasizing that he holds the honor of being #1. Is this all a coincidence?
5. Camilla Cabello wins it all
One of the shocking moments from the VMAs was when Camilla Cabello won both Artist of the Year and Video of the Year for her song, "Havana." I am not saying she isn't talented, but I think many were surprised that she managed to beat out artists like The Carters, Drake, Post Malone and others. Those artists have released chart topping albums within the year, while Cabello is still a relatively new solo artist (she used to be a part of the group Fifth Harmony, and only has had a few songs this year). Yes, she is talented, but I was shocked to see her beat out all of those big names.
6. Taylor Swift WHO?
A name we didn't hear much of at the 2018 VMA's was Taylor Swift. In the past, Swift has been a popular name when it comes to the VMAs, from her 2009 feud with Kanye, to having the world premiere of her video for "Look What You Made Me Do" at the show in 2017. But, this year, she was left off of the list of nominees for the most part, only getting nominations for three technical awards. You would think that she would have gotten nominations for her songs on her album "Reputation," but she was almost completely left out of the nominees. Is Taylor Swift's time up? is she now an artist of the past?
The 2018 VMA's definitely lived up to expectations, with no shortage of dramatic moments between celebrities and over the top performances. Not only is this award show important for artists across all genres of music, but it provides us with "iconic pop culture moments" that continue to be relevant for years to come, with this year being no different.
