Music Matters: Ten (10) Artists Who DESERVE The MJ Video Vanguard Award
The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, is a merit given to recording artists and music video directors at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), a ceremony that was established in 1984. It is presented by MTV for "outstanding contributions" and "profound impact" on music videos and popular culture. As the ceremony's special category, the trophy is a gold-plated "moonman" rather than the silver ones of the other VMA categories. In 1991, the award was renamed after Michael Jackson, who had previously won the 1988 trophy. Since its inception, the Video Vanguard Award has been awarded to 35 acts.
Excerpt taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson_Video_Vanguard_Award
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| MJ Video Vanguard Award |
This recognition has been awarded to artists such as Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, The Beatles, P!nk, Jennifer Lopez, Missy Elliott, David Bowie, Shakira, Nicki Minaj, LL Cool J, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson and directors such as Hype Williams and David Bryne just to name a few.
Therefore with the announcement of this year recipient and the conversation it created on social media especially amongst music Twitter, I have decided to share ten (10) artist I believe are deserving of the illustrious honour.
1. Benny Boom: The famed director has orchestrated and directed three (3) films and has approximately over three hundred (300) music video directing credits. He has worked with icons such as Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, Akon, Nas and has even directed episodes of various television shows like 90210, NCIS and Empire just to name a few.
Accolades: In 2009 and 2013, he won BET's Video Director of the Year award and has received the most nominations in the category with sixteen (16) nominations to date. Additionally, Boom won the 2022 VMA award for Best Hip-Hop video for his work with Nicki Minaj for the "Do We Have A Problem" visuals.
Videos that showcase why he deserves the honour:
2. Busta Rhymes: The eccentric rapper who has made rapping extremely fast while maintaining perfect breathe control has been delivering one of a kind music videos since 1986 which marks the beginning of his career. Yes, that is thirty nine (39) years of releasing jaw dropping videos that gives the audience no choice but to stand up and pay attention.
Accolades: In 1999, he won the Music Video of the Year at The Source Awards for his video collab with Janet Jackson for the song "What's It Gonna Be?!" and a year later he won the The Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video at the Soul Train Awards for the same video. Additionally, he was nominated for Best Music Video, short form for "Fire" at the 2001 GRAMMYs and has been nominated for sixteen VMAs without a win to date which is preposterous.
Videos that showcase why he deserves the honour:
3. Erykah Badu: The eclectic songstress has been delivering mesmerizing videos from the start of her career in 1997. Aside from her great vocals, songwriting and performances, her captivating music videos assisted in differentiating her from her peers which placed her at the forefront of the Neo Soul movement eventually earning her the moniker of "Queen of Neo Soul".
Accolades: In 2003, she was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video and won Video of the Year for "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" at the BET Awards. Also, Badu was nominated for Video of the Year for "Honey" and won for Best Video Director in 2008 at the BET Awards. Additionally, "Honey" was nominated at the 2009 GRAMMYs for Best Short Form Music Video. She has six VMA nominations to date winning in 2008 for Best Direction for "Honey".
Videos that showcase why she deserves the honour:
4. FKA twigs: This genre-bending genius is the artistically youngest artist on this list as she officially released her debut album "LP1" in 2014. Yet in such a short span of time she has established herself as a premier alternative artist. One of the areas in which she excels and sets herself apart from others is her creative and clever visuals which incorporate elements of Afrofuturism.
Accolades: In 2015, she won Video of the Year for the visual for the song "Two Weeks" and won the same award in 2021 for her video for the songs "Cellophane" and "sad day" at the A2IM Libera Awards. Also, in 2015, she won Best Video for the visual for "Pendulum" at MOBO Awards. Additionally, the video for "Cellophane" was nominated for Best Music Video at the 2020 GRAMMYs. Twigs has been nominated eight (8) times at the VMAs to date and has eight (8) wins from twenty five (25) nominations at the UK Music Video Awards.
Videos that showcase why she deserves the honour:
5. Kylie Minogue: The Queen of Euro-Pop may not have had massive success in the US market as many believe she deserved but she did not dominate the Australian and European markets for no good reason. Her dominance can be attributed to her great music catalog, her inventive stage performances and tours but never forget her dope visuals. Whether it is the fashion choices, her infectious choreography or her star power, she takes what would be a basic idea in the hands of another artist and creates a masterful visual.
Accolades: In 1985, she won Best Video at the ARIAs for her visual for the song "Put Yourself In My Place". She has a total of five VMA nominations with a win for Best Choreography In A Video for the visuals for "Can't Get You Out of My Head".
Videos that showcase why she deserves the honour:
6. Lady Gaga: Mother Monster has been dominating the pop scene since 2008 with her unorthodox approach to all things entertainment. From her towering vocals, dramatic 8 counts, captivating performances, quality pop music and even her iconic fashion sense, her career has been a testament to the power of being a versatile artist. In addition to all the facets that have been named, a standout in her seventeen (17) year plus career has been her videos that showcases her multiple talents.
Accolades: In 2010, she won the BET Award for Video of the Year for her collaboration with Beyoncé on "Video Phone". In 2011 she won the Grammy award for Best Short Form Music Video for "Bad Romance" along with the EMA Award for Best Video the same year for the visual for "Born This Way". In 2025, she won the AMA Favourite Music Video award for her collaboration with Bruno Mars "Die With A Smile". Gaga has a total of twenty three (23) VMA nominations with eighteen (18) wins including winning the top prize "Video of the Year" for " Bad Romance" in 2010.
Videos that showcase why she deserves the honour:
7. Melina Matsoukas: Once you have seen the incredible videos she has directed, one will understand why this acclaimed director has been a staple in the industry for over nineteen (19) years. From working on her first video in 2006 for Red Handed's "Dem Girls " featuring Scooby and Paul Wall to her most recent work, she has delivered stellar visuals from day one. That is the reason iconic artist such as Jennifer Lopez, Ludacris, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Solange and her most frequent collaborator Beyoncé have called upon her to bring their visions to life.
Accolades: Matsoukas won the VMA for Video of the Year for Rihanna's "We Found Love," becoming the first solo female director to win the award 1n 2012 and the Best Music Video GRAMMY award for the same video in 2013. Matsoukas was also nominated for Best Direction for Beyoncé's "Pretty Hurts" in 2014 and the video for "Formation" won the Video of the Year award at the 2016 VMAs.
Videos that showcase why she deserves the honour:
8. OutKast: As one of the most influential Hip-Hop acts of all time, OutKast which consist of rappers Big Boi and André 3000 differentiated themselves in many ways from other rappers of their time with their eccentricity. One of the glaring ways this eccentricity was seen is in their funky, odd, colorful and out of the box visuals.
Accolades: The duo won the BET Award for Video of the Year for "Ms Jackson". "Hey Ya" and " International Players Anthem (I Choose You)" in 2001, 2004 and 2008 respectively. Additionally, OutKast has been nominated twice at the GRAMMYs for Best Music Video for the visuals for "Ms Jackson" in 2002 and "Hey Ya" in 2004. The group has received eight (8) VMA nominations to date winning five of those nominations for categories such as Best Hip Hop Video and Video of the Year.
Videos that showcase why they deserves the honour:
9. Sean Paul: The iconic Jamaican dancehall rapper has been a trailblazer for Caribbean music and people since his debut in 2000. Sean Paul's artistry was at the forefront of Caribbean music particularly Dancehall dominating the American charts during the late 90s and early 2000s. While there are many reasons to love his artistry, one of the standouts are his videos. They are always chaotic yet orderly and full of energy with vibrant colours and true Caribbean culture fully on display.
Accolades: In 2003, Paul was nominated for the Best Dance Video award for the "Get Busy" visual and in 2006 in the same category for his video for the song "Temperature".
Videos that showcase why he deserves the honour:
10. TLC: No one who loves music can mention girl groups without naming the iconic trio that was comprised of T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli. Not only is the group one of the top five best selling girl groups of all time, they were unique in the way they blended social commentary into digestible popular music without being cliche which is a massive undertaking for ant artist. Their uniqueness did not only stop there but could be found in their cinematic videos that remain fresh and exciting as they were when they were released decades ago.
Accolades: In 1999, they won the MOBO Award for Best Video for the visual for "No Scrub". Additionally, in 2000, the group was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video for "Unpretty" at the GRAMMYs. Additionally, TLC has been nominated for eight (8) VMAs winning a total of five including the illustrious Video of the Year award in 1995 for their hit song "Waterfalls".
Videos that showcase why she deserves the honour:
What artist(s) do you believe deserve the MJ Video Vanguard Award?
Let me know in the comments below!
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