The MTV VMAs are back, and the lineup of celebrities is jam-packed with Mariah Carey taking home the biggest honor of the night.
The ceremony will take place live on Sept. 7 and will air for the first time on CBS. Ciara is set to present along with Latto and Ice Spice, while LL Cool J will take on hosting duties. Carey will be honored with the Video Vanguard award for her illustrious career in iconic music videos. Her first video aired on the network in 1991, and she now joins the ranks of Rihanna, Beyoncé, Missy Elliott, Janet Jackson, and Nicki Minaj, all of whom have taken home the honor. The elusive chartreuse will also take to the stage for a special performance.
Busta Rhymes will take home the inaugural “Rock The Bells” Visionary Award and will also bring his high-energy, one-of-a-kind showmanship to the MTV stage. The annual Rock The Bells music festival, founded by LL Cool J and aptly named after his 1985 track, usually hosts a lineup of true lyrical assassins, and it seems that MTV has now created an award to honor those who rock the mic.
The list of performers aside from the aforementioned honorees is very…vanilla…with the exception of Doja Cat who will take the stage. Nominations are a bit more diverse with artists like Bruno Mars leading the pack with 11 nods, while Kendrick Lamar brought in 10 for his efforts. The Weeknd also brought in a few nominations for his latest release.
MTV did highlight more unique talent during its “Push to the VMAs” segment with performances from Justine Skye and Amaarae covering songs from artists like Billie Eilish, SZA and KATSEYE.
The VMAs have lost their luster over the years but some of the biggest moments in music—Beyoncé announcing her pregnancy, Michael Jackson performing for 15 mins flawlessly, Janet Jackson tributing her brother after his death, Kanye West snatching the mic from Taylor Swift—happened on that MTV stage.
