Lil Nas X gets vindicated by MTV VMAs

Rumor has it that hip-hop star Lil Nas X uploaded a video of him urinating on a BET Award trophy. Is this true? If so, then this is so gross. Even if Lil Nas X has always gone for the shock factor. To pee on something or on anything is not the work of a supposedly sane, and in this case amiable human being.

But then, you also have to consider where Lil Nas X was coming from. It was his reaction to not being nominated at the BET despite the fact that his Industry Baby, a collab with Jack Harlow is a huge hit and came with a well-made wonderfully executed video. But he still got zero noms. Adding insult to the injury is the fact that Harlow was nominated for Best Hip-Hop artist.

BET stands for Black Entertainment Television and the annual awards celebrates black entertainers who excel in music, film, television and philanthropy. Of course, one never really knows what happens among voters in such awards. Maybe the accomplishments of Lil Nas X did not pass muster with the voters or maybe black, openly gay men are still not fully accepted despite their accomplishments.

I hope that Lil Nas X has now put the BETS snub behind him what with the full vindication he received from the MTV Video Music Awards. Lil Nas X with his Industry Baby topped this year’s nominations with seven nods. He tied with Kendrick Lamar and Jack Harlow because the latter was in collab with Lil Nas X in Industry Baby also got seven nominations.

The VMAs will be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Aug. 28 and Lil Nas X is poised to make history on that evening. If Industry Baby wins for Best Video of the Year, he will be the first artist to win that Moonman trophy or should I say Moonperson, two years in a row. With a back-to-back victory under his belt, Lil Nas X certainly needs no BET.  But it would have been nice to get one or two.

Here are the nominees at the MTV Video Music Awards 2022.

•Video of the Year: Doja Cat, Woman; Drake ft. Future & Young Thug, Way 2 Sexy; Ed Sheeran, Shivers; Harry Styles, As It Was; Lil Nas X ft. Jack Harlow, Industry Baby; Olivia Rodrigo, brutal; and Taylor Swift, All Too Well (Taylor’s Version).

•Artist of the Year: Bad Bunny, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Jack Harlow, Lil Nas X and Lizzo.

•Song of the Year: Adele, Easy on Me; Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever; Doja Cat, Woman; Elton John and Dua Lipa, Cold Heart (PNAU Remix); Lizzo, About Damn Time; Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, Stay.

•New Artist: Baby Keem, Dove Cameron, GAYLE, Latto, Maneskin and SEVENTEEN.

•Push Performance of the Year: Sept. 2021, Griff, One Night; Oct. 2021, Reni Walf, Sexy Villain; Nov. 2021, Nessa Barret, I hope ur miserable until ur dead; Dec. 2021, SEVENTEEN, Rock with You; Jan. 2021, Mae Muller, Better Days; Feb. 2022, GAYLE, abcdefu; March 2022, Sheneesa, R U That; March 2022, Omar Apollo, Tamagotchi; April 2022, Wet Leg, Chaise Lounge; June 2022, Muni Long, Baby Boo; and July 2022, Doechi, Persuasive.

•Best Collaboration: Drake ft. Future & Young Thug, Way 2 Sexy; Elton John and Dua Lipa, Cold Heart (PNAU Remix); Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow, Industry Baby; Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa, Sweetest Pie; Post Malone & The Weeknd, One Right Now; ROSALIA ft. The Weeknd, LA FAMA; and Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, Stay.

•Best Pop: Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever; Doja Cat, Woman; Ed Sheeran, Shivers; Harry Styles, As It Was; Lizzo, About Damn Time; and Olivia Rodrigo, traitor.

•Best Hip-Hop: Eminem & Snoop Dogg, From the D 2 the LBC; Drake ft. Future and Young Thug, WAIT FOR U; Kendrick Lamar, N95; Latto, Big Energy; Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Baby, Do We Have a Problem; and Pusha T, Diet Coke.

•Best Rock: Foo Fighters, Love Dies Young; Jack White, Taking Me Back; Muse, Won’t Stand Down; Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Summer; Shinedown, Planet Zero; and Three Days Grace, So Called Life.

•Best Alternative: Avril Lavigne ft. blackbear, Love It When You Hate Me; Imagine Dragons x JID, Enemy; Machine Gun Kelly ft. WILLOW, emo girl; Maneskin, I Wanna Be Your Slave; Panic! at the Disco, Viva Las Vengeance; Twenty One Pilots, Saturday; and WILLOW, Avril Lavigne and Travis Davis, G R O W.

•Best Latin: Anitta, Envolver; Big Bunny, Titi Me Pregunto; Becky G X KAROL G, MAMIII; Daddy Yankee, REMIX; Farruko, Pepas; and J Balvin & Skrillex, In Da Ghetto.

•Best R&B: Alicia Keys, City of God, (Part II); Chloe, Have Mercy; H.E.R., For Anyone; Normani ft. Cardi B, Wild Side; Summer Walker, SZA & Cardi B, No Love; and The Weeknd, Out of Time.

•Best K-Pop: BTS, Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment); ITZY, LOCO; LISA, LALISA; SEVENTEEN, HOT; Stray Kids, MANIAC; and TWICE, The Feels.

•Video for Good: Kendrick Lamar, The Heart Part 5; Latto, P*ssy; Lizzo, About Damn Time; Rina Sawayama, This Hell; and Stromae, Fils de joie.

•Best Metaverse Performance: BLACKPINK, The Virtual; BTS, Minecraft; Charli XCX, Justin Bieber, An Interactive Virtual Experience; Rift Tour ft. Ariana Grande; Twenty One Pilots Concert Experience.

•Best Longform Video: Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles; Foo Fighters, Studio 666; Kacey Musgraves, star-crossed; Madonna, Madame X; Olivia Rodrigo, driving home 2 u; and Taylor Swift, All Too Well (Taylor Version).

For the rest of the nominations, do check out the VMA Awards site.