From Britney Spears' "Slave 4 U" snake dance to Kanye West's jaw-dropping "I'ma let you finish" speech, the MTV Video Music Awards have featured some of the most unforgettable moments in award show history. And it's likely this year's show will be equally entertaining, especially when you look at the full list of 2017 MTV VMAs nominations. On Tuesday, MTV teamed up with Instagram Live to announce this year's nominees, which celebrate the year's biggest musical hits. Kendrick Lamar leads the pack with eight noms, while Katy Perry and The Weeknd are tied with five each.
But the most exciting part of this year's VMA nominations isn't who raked in the most nominations. Instead, it's the subtle yet awesome updating of the show's categories. Just like with the 2017 MTV Movie Awards, the MTV VMAs removed gendered categories. The Artist of the Year category is replacing Best Female Video and Best Male Video, which is a pretty exciting change. Because why separate talent based on gender?
Not only that, but this year's VMAs spotlight videos that make a difference, which is similar to an update made to the Movie Awards as well. Now, there's a Best Fight Against The System category, which celebrates artists taking a stand for social justice through their videos. For instance, the Hamilton Mixtape's "Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)" video received a well-deserved nom for their video highlighting just how valuable immigrants' contributions are; our country wouldn't be the same without them.
From the sound of the nominees, this may be the most memorable show yet — and that's saying a lot, because remember that Kanye mic moment?
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.”
- Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
- Alessia Cara – “Scars To Your Beautiful”
- DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts”
- The Weeknd – “Reminder”
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Bruno Mars
- Kendrick Lamar
- Ed Sheeran
- Ariana Grande
- The Weeknd
- Lorde
BEST NEW ARTIST (Presented by Taco Bell®)
- Khalid
- Kodak Black
- 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”
- 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” (Syco Music/Epic Records)
- Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained To The Rhythm”
- Miley Cyrus – “Malibu”
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”
- DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne – “I’m The One”
BEST DANCE
- Zedd and Alessia Cara – “Stay”
- 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”
- 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” (Race & LGBTQ)
- The Hamilton Mixtape – “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)” (Immigration)
- Big Sean – “Light” (Race)
- Alessia Cara – “Scars To Your Beautiful” (Body image)
- Taboo ft. Shailene Woodley – “Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL” (Environment)
- John Legend – “Surefire” (Immigration & Anti-Muslim hate)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (Scott Cunningham)
- Imagine Dragons – “Thunder” (Matthew Wise)
- Ed Sheeran – “Castle On The Hill” (Steve Annis)
- DJ Shadow ft. Run The Jewels – “Nobody Speak” (David Proctor)
- Halsey – “Now or Never” (Kristof Brandl)
BEST DIRECTION
- Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (Dave Meyers & the little homies)
- Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained To The Rhythm” (Mathew Cullen)
- Bruno Mars – “24K Magic” (Cameron Duddy & Bruno Mars)
- Alessia Cara – “Scars To Your Beautiful” (Aaron A)
- The Weeknd – “Reminder” (Glenn Michael)
BEST ART DIRECTION
- Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (Spencer Graves)
- Bruno Mars – “24K Magic” (Alex Delgado)
- Katy Perry ft. Migos – “Bon Appetit” (Natalie Groce)
- DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts” (Damian Fyffe)
- The Weeknd – “Reminder” (Creative Director: Lamar C Taylor / Co-creative Director: Christo Anesti)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
- Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (Company: Timber/Lead: Jonah Hall)
- A Tribe Called Quest – “Dis Generation” (Company: Bemo/Lead: Brandon Hirzel)
- 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” (Teyana Taylor, Guapo, Jae Blaze & Derek ‘Bentley’ Watkins)
- Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – “Side To Side” (Brian & Scott Nicholson)
- Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (Dave Meyers)
- Sia – “The Greatest” (Ryan Heffington)
- Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane – “Down” (Sean Bankhead)
BEST EDITING
- Future – “Mask Off” (Vinnie Hobbs of VHPost)
- Young Thug – “Wyclef Jean” (Ryan Staake & Eric Degliomini)
- Lorde – “Green Light” (Nate Gross of Exile Edit)
- The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer” (Jennifer Kennedy)
- The Weeknd – “Reminder” (Red Barbaza)
To see who takes home the Moonmen statues, tune into the MTV VMAs at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27.
