People Still Want Their MTV

by Abigail Levasseur '24 on September 8, 2022
A&E Staff

Arts & Entertainment

Highlights of the MTV Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards were held on Aug. 28, 2022, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The show featured award distribution for a variety of categories, including “Best Song of the Summer” and “Best Video of the Year,” and showcased performances by the nation’s top music artists. In case you missed the show, here are some important highlights:

The show had three hosts: Nicki Minaj, Jack Harlow, and LL Cool J. It was the first time the show has featured multiple hosts since 1986. With the location in New Jersey, the show also included appearances from several New Jersey natives: Queen Latifah, Fetty Wap, Wyclef Jean, Naughty by Nature, and Redman.

Host Nicki Minaj broke barriers for women by taking home the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, which is a special merit award in homage to the King of Pop himself. Nicki also won “Best Hip Hop” for her song “Do We Have A Problem?” Her Co-Host Jack Harlow took home “Best Collaboration,” “Best Visual Effects,” and “Art Direction” alongside icon Lil Nas X for their song “Industry Baby,” as well as “Song of the Summer” for his song “First Class.”

Taylor Swift won “Video of the Year,” “Best Direction,” and “Best Longform Video” for her 10-minute music video “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version).” Thankfully, Kanye West wasn’t present to interrupt her acceptance speech this year as he famously did in 2009. Additionally, Taylor’s former beau, Harry Styles, who became famous for his membership in one of the most notable boy bands of all time, One Direction, is now finding success on his own. He won “Best Pop” and “Best Cinematography” for his hit song “As it Was” and “Best Album” for his new album Harry’s House.

Dove Cameron is currently making waves in the music industry after leaving her Disney Channel acting career behind. She starred in the sitcom Liv & Maddie as both Liv and Maddie, and played Kayla, a budding snowboarder, in the hit movie Cloud Nine, and most famously, she played the lead villain turned good, Mal, daughter of Maleficent, in the Disney movie trilogy Descendants. Now she’s MTV’s “Best New Artist” thanks to her new hit song “Boyfriend.”

To continue with the awards, the Red Hot Chili Peppers won their ninth MTV award for their new “Best Rock” song “Black Summer.” Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny edged out some big-name artists (Ed Sheeran, Drake, Harry Styles, etc.) for the “Artist of the Year” award. Billie Eilish won “Song of the Year” for her song “Happier Than Ever.” Lastly, Seventeen, a South Korean boy band, won “Push Performance of the Year.”

Other noteworthy moments of the show include Snoop Dog and Eminem’s live rendition of their latest collaboration “From the D 2 the LBC,” Kane Brown’s historic performance as the first male country artist to sing at the MTV awards since 1984, and DJ Khaled’s segment on parenting advice for new mother Nessa Diab. For more information on the 2022 MTV awards, please consult this generation’s “Best Search Engine:” Google.