The VMAs — a grossly celebrated celebration of an art from that doesn’t even get airtime on the channel that brought it to the mainstream — are on.
You probably don’t care, and we probably shouldn’t, but it’s rainy AF out there. Plus, reading about Hurricane Harvey makes us too sad (our sheet cake moment, we guess).
So, here we are (and by “we” we mean Ray Twitter-ing and threading his tweets all by himself) reacting to the program and bringing you winners (see below) along with highlights featuring VMA personalities heading to Tampa Bay in the coming months.
Here we go. Winners at the very bottom on the post and highlights below.
- Ed Sheeran (playing Amalie Arena next week) and Lil' Uzi Vert opening the show. Mr. Vert joins several VMA personalities at Wild 94.1's Last Damn show in November.
🎸 @edsheeran and @LILUZIVERT took the stage and rocked it! pic.twitter.com/fCQb84EQlO
— MTV (@MTV) August 28, 2017
- Kendrick Lamar opened the DAMN. show with a literally explosive performance. He plays Amalie Arena on September 1.
- Here's Taylor Swift's new video for "Look What You Made Me Do," which premiered on the program. Her last Bay area appearance was Halloween 2015, but a 2018 concert is all but a certainty. We detail for to get tickets here.
Congrats to @thegreatkhalid for taking home the #VMA for Best New Artist! pic.twitter.com/lkbfgazncI
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) August 28, 2017
- Best New Artist Khalid gets his merchandise needs handled by R I V A L S // G R P, a Tampa-based design and merchandising company. Read more here.
- We'll drop some video of host Katy Perry performing "Swish Swish" at the awards show when it goes live. She plays Tampa in December. Details on that show here.
BEST HIP HOP
Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” [winner, playing Amalie Arena on September 1]
Big Sean – “Bounce Back”
Chance the Rapper – “Same Drugs” [read our review of his November performance in Tampa here]
D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – “Broccoli”
Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad & Boujee”
DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne – “I’m The One”
BEST DANCE
Zedd and Alessia Cara – “Stay” [winner]
Kygo x Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me”
Calvin Harris – “My Way”
Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ – “Cold Water”
Afrojack ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Gone”
BEST ROCK
Coldplay – “A Head Full of Dreams”
Fall Out Boy – “Young And Menace”
Twenty One Pilots – “Heavydirtysoul” [read our review of the band's Tampa show here]
Green Day – “Bang Bang”
Foo Fighters – “Run”
BEST FIGHT AGAINST THE SYSTEM
Logic ft. Damian Lemar Hudson – “Black SpiderMan”
The Hamilton Mixtape – “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)” [Read coverage of Daveed Diggs here and here, and then see our interview with Leslie Odom Jr. here]
Big Sean – “Light”
Alessia Cara – “Scars To Your Beautiful”
Taboo ft. Shailene Woodley – “Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL”
John Legend – “Surefire” [read our recap of Legend's private performance at the Tampa Convention Center here and a review of his Coachman Park show here]
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” [read LJ's review of DAMN. here]
Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
Ed Sheeran – “Castle On The Hill”
DJ Shadow ft. Run The Jewels – “Nobody Speak”
Halsey – “Now or Never”
BEST DIRECTION
Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.”
Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained To The Rhythm”
Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
Alessia Cara – “Scars To Your Beautiful”
The Weeknd – “Reminder”
BEST NEW ARTIST
Khalid [winner, read about the Tampa company handling his merch here]
Kodak Black
SZA [she plays a sold out show at Orpheum in Ybor City in October — read about it in our Fall Arts Preview]
Young M.A
Julia Michaels
Noah Cyrus
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Bruno Mars
Kendrick Lamar
Ed Sheeran [winner]
Ariana Grand
The Weeknd
Lorde
BEST ART DIRECTION
Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.”
Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
Katy Perry ft. Migos – “Bon Appetit”
DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts”
The Weeknd – “Reminder”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.”
A Tribe Called Quest – “Dis Generation” [we paid tribute to the late, great Phife Dawg in last year's memorial issue]
KYLE ft. Lil Yachty – “iSpy” [see photos of Yachty rocking Jannus Live in St. Petersburg here]
Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained To The Rhythm”
Harry Styles – “Sign Of The Times”
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Kanye West – “Fade”
Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – “Side To Side”
Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.”
Sia – “The Greatest”
Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane – “Down”
BEST EDITING
Future – “Mask Off” [read our review of his August set at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre here, see photos of him opening for Drake last year here]
Young Thug – “Wyclef Jean”
Lorde – “Green Light”
The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
The Weeknd – “Reminder”
BEST COLLABORATION
Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez – “We Don’t Talk Anymore” [see photos of Puth opening for Shawn Mendes in Tampa here]
DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts”
D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – “Broccoli” [D.R.A.M. opens for Kendrick Lamar in Tampa — details]
The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer” [we wonder why everyone hates the 'smokies in this recap of the band's Tampa show]
Calvin Harris ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean – “Feels”
Zayn & Taylor Swift – “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)” [winner]
BEST POP
Shawn Mendes – “Treat You Better”
Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
Harry Styles – “Sign Of The Times”
Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane – “Down” [winner]
Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained To The Rhythm”
Miley Cyrus – “Malibu”
SONG OF SUMMER
Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi, Feat. Justin Bieber - "Despacito (Remix)"
Ed Sheeran - "Shape of You"
Shawn Mendes - "There's Nothing Holding Me Back"
Demi Lovato - "Sorry Not Sorry"
DJ Khaled Feat. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller - "Wild Thoughts"
Camila Cabello Feat. Quavo - "OMG"Fifth Harmony Feat. Gucci Mane - "Down"
Lil Uzi Vert - "XO Tour Llif3" [winner - Mr. Vert plays Amalie Arena in November — details]
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Kendrick Lamar - "HUMBLE." (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope) [winner]
Bruno Mars - "24K Magic" (Atlantic Records)
Alessia Cara - "Scars To Your Beautiful" (Def Jam)
DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller - "Wild Thoughts" (Epic Records/We The Best)
The Weeknd - "Reminder" (XO/Republic Records)