The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) organized to honor the best talent in the music video medium in the United States was first held in 1984. Since then, it has been an adobe of creativity, musical excellence, experimentation, and social and cultural impact. It has become a prominent and influential music award show not only in the US but around the world.
The VMAs have played a significant role in popularizing music videos and providing a platform from which many artists have ascended in their music careers. Controversial moments have also played an intriguing role in making the VMAs popular moments like in 2009 when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's speech on winning Best Female Video. This year, the backstage interaction between Justin Timberlake and Megan Thee Stallion has anticipated a possible feud between them, but words were not clear. Such incidents have also opened debates on race, gender equality, fame, etc., in the industry and notions among celebrities.
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The VMAs have popularized American music videos and artists around the world. Before the VMA, music videos did not gain popularity among the American people. It has enhanced the reputation and economy of the video music industry. Innovative artists have used this platform as an experiment for their creative endeavors with content, storytelling treatments, cinematography, and vivid editing techniques. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is a perfect example to elucidate the VMAs' role in heightening the cinematic experience of music videos.
It has provided a platform for new artists who can present their talent and make relevant connections and contacts with people of the same enthusiasm and vision in the industry. In 1984, Madonna performed “Like A Virgin" at the VMAs. That performance helped transcend her career to its culmination. Now she is revered as the Queen of Pop. Similarly, stars like Britney Spears and Beyoncé also got an opportunity to show their creativity and catapulted their careers.
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It has been a platform for also addressing social and political issues. In 2017, Kendrick Lamar's performance opened the discourse on racial injustice and police brutality against Black people. The show has also been a driving force for social change and the making of an inclusive and democratic society.
