Kendrick Lamar Dominates This Year’s MTV Video Music Awards Nominations

Get ready to kiss the summer goodbye and give a warm welcome to award season: MTV just announced the nominations for 2017's MTV Video Music Awards. And this year, Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations, proving once again that this is his world, and we're all simply living in it. Lamar, whose critically acclaimed album DAMN. was casually named the most popular album of the year earlier this month, secured eight MTV nominations, seven of which are for his single "HUMBLE."

But while the Video Music Awards are shaping up to be the Kendrick Lamar show (as opposed to last year, which was all about Beyoncé and Rihanna), there's some other notable nominees this go-round. Both Katy Perry and The Weeknd garnered five nominations, and other nominees include Lorde, for Artist of the Year; Noah Cyrus and SZA, for Best New Artist; and Halsey's "Now or Never," for Best Cinematography. 

The network is continuing to implement non-gender categories, a strategy it debuted in May during MTV's Movie & TV Awards. For this year's VMAs, the network eliminated the “Best Female Video” and “Best Male Video” categories for “Artist of the Year."

In the “Best Fight Against the System” category, nominees include Alessia Cara's "Scars to Your Beautiful," Big Sean's "Light," and “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done),” from The Hamilton Mixtape. Last year, Maxine Waters presented the category, and it will be interesting to see who gets the honor this year.

The 2017 MTV Video Music Awards will air live from the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California, on Sunday, August 27, at 8pm.

See the full list of nominations below, vote for your favorite artists here, and stay tuned for the show. 

COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINEES

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)

Bruno Mars – “24K Magic” (Atlantic Records)

Alessia Cara – “Scars To Your Beautiful” (Def Jam)

DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts” (Epic Records/We The Best)

The Weeknd – “Reminder” (XO/Republic Records)

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records)

Kendrick Lamar (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)

Ed Sheeran (Atlantic Records)

Ariana Grande (Republic Records)

The Weeknd (XO/Republic Records)

Lorde (Republic Records)

BEST NEW ARTIST(Presented by Taco Bell®)

Khalid (RCA Records)

Kodak Black (Atlantic Records)

SZA (TDE/RCA Records)

Young M.A (3D)

Julia Michaels (Republic Records)

Noah Cyrus (Records)

BEST COLLABORATION

Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez – “We Don’t Talk Anymore” (Atlantic Records)

DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts” (Epic Records/We The Best)

D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – “Broccoli” (Atlantic Records)

The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer” (Disruptor Records/Columbia Records)

Calvin Harris ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean – “Feels” (Columbia Records)

Zayn & Taylor Swift – “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)” (Republic Records)

BEST POP 

Shawn Mendes – “Treat You Better” (Island Records)

Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You” (Asylum/Atlantic Records)

Harry Styles – “Sign Of The Times” (Columbia Records)

Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane – “Down” (Syco Music/Epic Records)

Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained To The Rhythm” (Capitol Records)

Miley Cyrus – “Malibu” (RCA Records)

BEST HIP HOP 

Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)

Big Sean – “Bounce Back” (Def Jam)

Chance the Rapper – “Same Drugs” (Chance the Rapper LLC)

D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – “Broccoli” (Atlantic Records)

Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad & Boujee” (300 Entertainment)

DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne – “I’m The One” (Epic Records/We The Best)

BEST DANCE

Zedd and Alessia Cara – “Stay” (Interscope)

Kygo x Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me” (Ultra/Interscope)

Calvin Harris – “My Way” (Columbia Records)

Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ – “Cold Water” (Mad Decent)

Afrojack ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Gone” (Wall Recordings/Latium/RCA Records)

BEST ROCK

Coldplay – “A Head Full of Dreams” (Parlophone/Atlantic Records)

Fall Out Boy – “Young And Menace” (Island)

Twenty One Pilots – “Heavydirtysoul” (Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic Records)

Green Day – “Bang Bang” (Warner Bros. Records)

Foo Fighters – “Run” (RCA Records)

BEST FIGHT AGAINST THE SYSTEM 

Logic ft. Damian Lemar Hudson – “Black SpiderMan” (Def Jam)

The Hamilton Mixtape – “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)” (Atlantic Records)

Big Sean – “Light” (Def Jam)

Alessia Cara – “Scars To Your Beautiful” (Def Jam)

Taboo ft. Shailene Woodley – “Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL”

John Legend – “Surefire” (Columbia Records)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHYKendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope) (Scott Cunningham)

Imagine Dragons – “Thunder” (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope) (Matthew Wise)

Ed Sheeran – “Castle On The Hill” (Asylum/Atlantic Records) (Steve Annis)

DJ Shadow ft. Run The Jewels – “Nobody Speak” (Mass Appeal Records LLC) (David Proctor)

Halsey – “Now or Never” (Astralwerks/Capitol) (Kristof Brandl)BEST DIRECTIONKendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope) (Dave Meyers & the little homies)

Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained To The Rhythm” (Capitol Records) (Mathew Cullen)

Bruno Mars – “24K Magic” (Atlantic Records)  (Cameron Duddy & Bruno Mars)

Alessia Cara – “Scars To Your Beautiful” (Def Jam) (Aaron A)

The Weeknd – “Reminder” (XO/Republic Records) (Glenn Michael)

BEST ART DIRECTIONKendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope) (Spencer Graves)

Bruno Mars – “24K Magic” (Atlantic Records) (Alex Delgado)

Katy Perry ft. Migos – “Bon Appetit” (Capitol Records) (Natalie Groce)

DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts” (Epic Records/We The Best) (Damian Fyffe)

The Weeknd – “Reminder” (XO/Republic Records) (Creative Director: Lamar C Taylor / Co-creative Director: Christo Anesti)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTSKendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope) (Company: Timber/Lead: Jonah Hall)

A Tribe Called Quest – “Dis Generation” (Epic Records) (Company: Bemo/Lead: Brandon Hirzel)

KYLE ft. Lil Yachty – “iSpy” (Atlantic Records) (Company: Gloria FX/Leads: Max Colt & Tomash Kuzmytskyi)

Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – “Chained To The Rhythm” (Capitol Records) (Company: MIRADA)

Harry Styles – “Sign Of The Times” (Columbia Records) (Company: ONE MORE/Lead: Cédric Nivoliez)

BEST CHOREOGRAPHYKanye West – “Fade” (Def Jam) (Teyana Taylor, Guapo, Jae Blaze & Derek ‘Bentley’ Watkins)

Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – “Side To Side” (Republic Records) (Brian & Scott Nicholson)

Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)  (Dave Meyers)

Sia – “The Greatest” (Monkey Puzzle Records/RCA Records) (Ryan Heffington)

Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane – “Down” (Syco Music/Epic Records) (Sean Bankhead)

BEST EDITINGFuture – “Mask Off” (Epic Records/Freebandz/A1) (Vinnie Hobbs of VHPost)

Young Thug – “Wyclef Jean” (300 Entertainment/Atlantic Records) (Ryan Staake & Eric Degliomini)

Lorde – “Green Light” (Republic Records) (Nate Gross of Exile Edit)

The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer” (Disruptor Records/Columbia Records) (Jennifer Kennedy)

The Weeknd – “Reminder” (XO/Republic Records) (Red Barbaza)