Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” and The Carters’ “APES***” were the most talked-about videos of the last year, at least if the metric you use involves thinkpieces and social-media chatter. But by the time Madonna announced the video of the year winner on Monday night’s MTV Video Music Awards, the two had been largely relegated to afterthoughts. Instead, the two biggest prizes of the evening — artist and video of the year — went to Camila Cabello and her frothily charming smash “Havana (feat. Young Thug).”
Sure, “This Is America” won for best choreography, best direction and best video with a message, while “APES***” took home prizes for cinematography and art direction. But throughout the telecast, the biggest awards went to less elaborately staged, more commercial fare like Post Malone’s “rockstar (feat. 21 Savage)” for song of the year, Jennifer Lopez’s “Dinero (feat. DJ Khaled and Cardi B)” for best collaboration, Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry” for best pop and Nicki Minaj’s “Chun-Li” for best hip-hop.
Cardi B, who opened the night by introducing a Shawn Mendes performance, was another big winner, taking home trophies for the Lopez collaboration, best new artist and song of the summer for “I Like It,” which she’d recorded alongside Bad Bunny and J Balvin. On a night that showcased several high-profile performances by Latin artists — including a grabby spot by Colombian superstar Maluma — Balvin and Willy William also won in the category of best Latin for “Mi Gente,” which has been streamed nearly 2 billion times on YouTube.
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