With most of music industry91裸聊视频檚 top acts absent 91裸聊视频� from Beyonce to Bruno Mars 91裸聊视频� the MTV Video Music Awards lacked star power and felt flat, and some of the winners turned heads 91裸聊视频� for the wrong reasons.
Exhibit A: Camila Cabello beat out Drake, Mars, Cardi B, Ariana Grande and Post Malone for artist of the year.
91裸聊视频淚 can91裸聊视频檛 believe this is for me,91裸聊视频� Cabello said Monday onstage.
Neither can we.
Cabello achieved the unthinkable later in the show when she took home the top prize 91裸聊视频� video of the year 91裸聊视频� for 91裸聊视频淗avana.91裸聊视频� Cabello91裸聊视频檚 song was a No. 1 hit and of the video of the year nominees, 91裸聊视频淗avana91裸聊视频� was the second-most viewed clip behind Drake91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淕od91裸聊视频檚 Plan.91裸聊视频� But that91裸聊视频檚 partly since 91裸聊视频淗avana91裸聊视频� was released last year while the other videos came out this year.
It was the night91裸聊视频檚 most shocking moment, and MTV seemed to send a message: You91裸聊视频檙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, didn91裸聊视频檛 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 91裸聊视频淭his Is America.91裸聊视频�
The show hit another low when Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B and DJ Khaled won best collaboration for 91裸聊视频淒inero91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� a song that has peaked at No. 80 on Billboard91裸聊视频檚 Hot 100 chart 91裸聊视频� besting the record-setting hit 91裸聊视频淢eant to Be,91裸聊视频� by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, and Mars and Cardi B91裸聊视频檚 anthemic 91裸聊视频淔inesse91裸聊视频� 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 Franklin91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频�(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman91裸聊视频� at an audition that became a breakthrough for her.
91裸聊视频淣one of this would have happened without our lady of soul,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淪he led me where I am today. 91裸聊视频 want to thank you Aretha for empowering all of us. 91裸聊视频� Love live the queen.91裸聊视频� It wasn91裸聊视频檛 clear if Madonna meant Franklin, or herself.
At least MTV did played a clip of Franklin, who died last week, singing 91裸聊视频淚 Say A Little Prayer.91裸聊视频�
The VMAs, at Radio City Music Hall in New York, also lacked oomph with its performances throughout the night: Grande was a bore during 91裸聊视频淕od Is a Woman,91裸聊视频� 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 Scott91裸聊视频檚 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 91裸聊视频� Kylie Jenner and Scott91裸聊视频檚 unamused faces perfectly captured the vibe 91裸聊视频� but she hit a strong stride when she sang old smashes like 91裸聊视频淛enny from the Block,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频滻91裸聊视频檓 Real91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� where Ja Rule joined her onstage 91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淎ll I Have,91裸聊视频� which showed the skilled dancer91裸聊视频檚 vocal range.
But Lopez91裸聊视频檚 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 Video Vanguard Award for lifetime achievement.
She was teary-eyed and looked at her 91裸聊视频渢wo little angels,91裸聊视频� as she called them, and said, 91裸聊视频淚 stand here stronger and better than ever 91裸聊视频� so thank you Max and Emme.91裸聊视频� She called Rodriguez, who filmed her performance with his phone, 91裸聊视频渕y twin soul.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淢y life is sweeter and better with you in it,91裸聊视频� she said.
Cardi B, who gave birth last month, won three awards and said people told her she was 91裸聊视频済ambling your career91裸聊视频� when she decided to become a mother.
91裸聊视频淚 had the baby, I carried the baby and now I91裸聊视频檓 still winning awards,91裸聊视频� 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 she91裸聊视频檚 been blessed with fans 91裸聊视频渢hat you can91裸聊视频檛 buy,91裸聊视频� looking into the camera and shouting an expletive.
Minaj won the first televised award 91裸聊视频� best hip hop 91裸聊视频� 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, 91裸聊视频淗i Fifth Harmony.91裸聊视频� When Minaj accepted an award moments later, she looked to Haddish and said, 91裸聊视频淒on91裸聊视频檛 be coming for Fifth Harmony because Normani is that (chick).91裸聊视频� Normani currently has her first hit apart from the group with the Khalid-assisted 91裸聊视频淟ove Lies.91裸聊视频�
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 91裸聊视频渨ho the (expletive) of the day award is going to.91裸聊视频�
There was just one political moment, orchestrated when Logic was joined onstage by young immigrants wearing T-shirts that read, 91裸聊视频淲e are all human beings91裸聊视频� to protest the Trump administration91裸聊视频檚 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 91裸聊视频�1-800-273-8255,91裸聊视频� wore a T-shirt that read, 91裸聊视频�(Expletive) the wall.91裸聊视频�
There was one posthumous winner: Avicii, who died in April, won for best dance for 91裸聊视频淟onely Together91裸聊视频� alongside Rita Ora.
Mesfin Fekadu, The Associated Press
