With most of music industryB次元官网网址檚 top acts absent B次元官网网址� from Beyonce to Bruno Mars B次元官网网址� the MTV B次元官网网址 Music Awards lacked star power and felt flat, and some of the winners turned heads B次元官网网址� for the wrong reasons.
Exhibit A: Camila Cabello beat out Drake, Mars, Cardi B, Ariana Grande and Post Malone for artist of the year.
B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 believe this is for me,B次元官网网址� Cabello said Monday onstage.
Neither can we.
Cabello achieved the unthinkable later in the show when she took home the top prize B次元官网网址� video of the year B次元官网网址� for B次元官网网址淗avana.B次元官网网址� CabelloB次元官网网址檚 song was a No. 1 hit and of the video of the year nominees, B次元官网网址淗avanaB次元官网网址� was the second-most viewed clip behind DrakeB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淕odB次元官网网址檚 Plan.B次元官网网址� But thatB次元官网网址檚 partly since B次元官网网址淗avanaB次元官网网址� was released last year while the other videos came out this year.
It was the nightB次元官网网址檚 most shocking moment, and MTV seemed to send a message: YouB次元官网网址檙e punished for not showing up and rewarded for attending.
Grande won best pop and Post Malone took home song of the year. Drake, the most successful musician of the last year, didnB次元官网网址檛 win a single award. Beyonce, Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar were restricted to technical honours like editing, art direction, cinematography and visual effects. And Gambino picked up best direction, choreography and video with a message for his heralded video B次元官网网址淭his Is America.B次元官网网址�
The show hit another low when Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B and DJ Khaled won best collaboration for B次元官网网址淒ineroB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� a song that has peaked at No. 80 on BillboardB次元官网网址檚 Hot 100 chart B次元官网网址� besting the record-setting hit B次元官网网址淢eant to Be,B次元官网网址� by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, and Mars and Cardi BB次元官网网址檚 anthemic B次元官网网址淔inesseB次元官网网址� remix.
Then there was the Aretha Franklin tribute, a moment Madonna made, well, all about Madonna.
The pop icon rambled and rambled about the early struggles in her career, finally informing the crowd that she sang FranklinB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址�(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural WomanB次元官网网址� at an audition that became a breakthrough for her.
B次元官网网址淣one of this would have happened without our lady of soul,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪he led me where I am today. B次元官网网址 want to thank you Aretha for empowering all of us. B次元官网网址� Love live the queen.B次元官网网址� It wasnB次元官网网址檛 clear if Madonna meant Franklin, or herself.
At least MTV did played a clip of Franklin, who died last week, singing B次元官网网址淚 Say A Little Prayer.B次元官网网址�
The VMAs, at Radio City Music Hall in New York, also lacked oomph with its performances throughout the night: Grande was a bore during B次元官网网址淕od Is a Woman,B次元官网网址� but added some excitement when she was joined by her mother, grandmother and cousin onstage at the end of the performance. Travis Scott, whose album is No. 1 for a second week, had strong energy while onstage, but the performance felt like it belonged more to singer James Blake, who is featured on ScottB次元官网网址檚 album and performed just as long as Scott during the segment.
There were a few highlights. Maluma, the Colombian singer who was nominated twice in the best Latin category, did have an exciting performance as he danced onstage with gyrating dancers. And Lopez started off slow B次元官网网址� Kylie Jenner and ScottB次元官网网址檚 unamused faces perfectly captured the vibe B次元官网网址� but she hit a strong stride when she sang old smashes like B次元官网网址淛enny from the Block,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址滻B次元官网网址檓 RealB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� where Ja Rule joined her onstage B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淎ll I Have,B次元官网网址� which showed the skilled dancerB次元官网网址檚 vocal range.
But LopezB次元官网网址檚 speech was more stirring than her performance: She was emotional as she thanked her children and beau Alex Rodriguez onstage when she earned the Michael Jackson B次元官网网址 Vanguard Award for lifetime achievement.
She was teary-eyed and looked at her B次元官网网址渢wo little angels,B次元官网网址� as she called them, and said, B次元官网网址淚 stand here stronger and better than ever B次元官网网址� so thank you Max and Emme.B次元官网网址� She called Rodriguez, who filmed her performance with his phone, B次元官网网址渕y twin soul.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淢y life is sweeter and better with you in it,B次元官网网址� she said.
Cardi B, who gave birth last month, won three awards and said people told her she was B次元官网网址済ambling your careerB次元官网网址� when she decided to become a mother.
B次元官网网址淚 had the baby, I carried the baby and now IB次元官网网址檓 still winning awards,B次元官网网址� she said.
She also seemed to take aim at Nicki Minaj, who while promoting her new album last week said other musicians have hired fans to listen to their music.
Cardi said sheB次元官网网址檚 been blessed with fans B次元官网网址渢hat you canB次元官网网址檛 buy,B次元官网网址� looking into the camera and shouting an expletive.
Minaj won the first televised award B次元官网网址� best hip hop B次元官网网址� and checked comedian Tiffany Haddish for dissing girl group Fifth Harmony, now on hiatus.
After congratulating ex-Fifth Harmony member Cabello on her five nominations, Haddish said sarcastically, B次元官网网址淗i Fifth Harmony.B次元官网网址� When Minaj accepted an award moments later, she looked to Haddish and said, B次元官网网址淒onB次元官网网址檛 be coming for Fifth Harmony because Normani is that (chick).B次元官网网址� Normani currently has her first hit apart from the group with the Khalid-assisted B次元官网网址淟ove Lies.B次元官网网址�
Minaj, who has been a trending topic this week after she madly tweeted about why her new album debuted at No. 2 behind Travis Scott, also provided the first bleeped moment of the night when she told the audience to listen to her Apple Music radio show this week to hear B次元官网网址渨ho the (expletive) of the day award is going to.B次元官网网址�
There was just one political moment, orchestrated when Logic was joined onstage by young immigrants wearing T-shirts that read, B次元官网网址淲e are all human beingsB次元官网网址� to protest the Trump administrationB次元官网网址檚 separation of migrant children from their parents after they illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. The rapper, best known for the suicide prevention anthem B次元官网网址�1-800-273-8255,B次元官网网址� wore a T-shirt that read, B次元官网网址�(Expletive) the wall.B次元官网网址�
There was one posthumous winner: Avicii, who died in April, won for best dance for B次元官网网址淟onely TogetherB次元官网网址� alongside Rita Ora.
Mesfin Fekadu, The Associated Press
