Kendrick Lamar Leads 2017 VMAs Shortlist

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With eight nominations, Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations for MTV's Video Music Awards, the vestigial tail of a time where MTV actually showed music videos.

Although the last time you gave any thought to the VMAs was briefly circa Lady Gaga wearing a meat dress or when Madonna snogged Britney in front of her squirming ex, the yearly awards do actually show us something of where the music video industry is going.

The two major changes this year see gender divisions removed, with 'Male Video of the Year' and 'Female Video of the Year' being amalgamated, and the introduction of 'best fight against the system'- a hilarious award for a company that is 'the system' to be giving out, but an indicator of how people are looking for socially conscious messages in their music videos.

Video of the Year, previously won by genuine music video classics like Sledgehammer, Losing My Religion and Virtual Insanity, will be fought between:

Kendrick Lamar: Humble 

Bruno Mars: 24K Magic

Alessia Cara: Scars To Your Beautiful

DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller: Wild Thoughts

The Weeknd: Reminder

See the rest of the nominations below:

Aritst of the Year

Bruno Mars

Kendrick Lamar

Ed Sheeran

Ariana Grande

The Weeknd

Lorde [above]

Best New Artist

Khalid

Kodak Black [above]

SZA

Young M.A

Julia Michaels

Noah Cyrus

Best Collaboration

Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez: We Don’t Talk Anymore

DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller: Wild Thoughts

D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty: Broccoli [above]

The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey: Closer

Calvin Harris ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean: Feels

Zayn & Taylor Swift: I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)

Best Pop

Shawn Mendes: Treat You Better

Ed Sheeran: Shape Of You

Harry Styles: Sign Of The Times

Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane: Down

Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley: Chained To The Rhythm

Miley Cyrus: Malibu [above]

Best Hip Hop

Kendrick Lamar: HUMBLE.

Big Sean: Bounce Back

Chance the Rapper: Same Drugs

D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty: Broccoli

Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert: Bad & Boujee [above]

DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne: I’m The One

Best Dance

Zedd and Alessia Cara: Stay [above]

Kygo x Selena Gomez: It Ain’t Me

Calvin Harris: My Way

Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ: Cold Water

Afrojack ft. Ty Dolla $ign: Gone

Best Rock

Coldplay: A Head Full Of Dreams [above]

Fall Out Boy: Young And Menace

Twenty One Pilots: Heavydirtysoul

Green Day: Bang Bang

Foo Fighters: Run

Best Fight Against the System

Logic ft. Damian Lemar Hudson: Black SpiderMan

The Hamilton Mixtape: Immigrants (We Get the Job Done) [above]

Big Sean: Light

Alessia Cara: Scars To Your Beautiful

Taboo ft. Shailene Woodley: Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL

John Legend: Surefire

Best Cinematography

Kendrick Lamar: HUMBLE. (Cinematographer: Scott Cunningham)

Imagine Dragons: Thunder (Cinematographer: Matthew Wise)

Ed Sheeran: Castle On The Hill (Cinematographer: Steve Annis)

DJ Shadow ft. Run The Jewels: Nobody Speak (Cinematographer: David Proctor)

Halsey: Now Or Never (Cinematographer: Kristof Brandl) [above]

Best Direction

Kendrick Lamar: HUMBLE. (Directors: Dave Meyers, The Little Homies)

Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley: Chained To The Rhythm (Director: Mathew Cullen) [above]

Bruno Mars: 24K Magic (Directors: Cameron Duddy, Bruno Mars)

Alessia Cara: Scars To Your Beautiful (Director: Aaron A)

The Weeknd: Reminder (Director: Glenn Michael)

Best Art Direction

Kendrick Lamar: HUMBLE. (Production Designer: Spencer Graves)

Bruno Mars: 24K Magic (Production Designer: Alex Delgado)

Katy Perry ft. Migos: Bon Appetit (Production Designer: Natalie Groce)

DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller: Wild Thoughts (Production Designer: Damian Fyffe) [above]

The Weeknd: Reminder (Production Designers: Lamar C Taylor, Christo Anesti)

Best Visual Effects

Kendrick Lamar: HUMBLE. (Company: Timber/Lead: Jonah Hall)

A Tribe Called Quest: Dis Generation (Company: Bemo/Lead: Brandon Hirzel) [above]

KYLE ft. Lil Yachty: iSpy (Company: Gloria FX/Leads: Max Colt & Tomash Kuzmytskyi)

Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley: Chained To The Rhythm (Company: MIRADA)

Harry Styles: Sign Of The Times (Company: ONE MORE/Lead: Cédric Nivoliez)

Best Choreography

Kanye West: Fade (Choreographers: Teyana Taylor, Guapo, Jae Blaze, Derek ‘Bentley’ Watkins)

Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj: Side To Side (Choreographers: Brian & Scott Nicholson)

Kendrick Lamar: HUMBLE. (Choreographer: Dave Meyers)

Sia: The Greatest (Choreographer: Ryan Heffington)

Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane: Down (Choreographer: Sean Bankhead)

Best Editing

Future: Mask Off (Editor: Vinnie Hobbs of VHPost)

Young Thug: Wyclef Jean (Editors: Ryan Staake, Eric Degliomini) [above]

Lorde: Green Light (Editor: Nate Gross of Exile Edit)

The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey: Closer (Editor: Jennifer Kennedy)

The Weeknd: Reminder (Editor: Red Barbaza)