No music video generated as much discussion in 2018 as “This is America” by Childish Gambino. So we thought he would win Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards back in August. But he was upset by Camila Cabello‘s “Havana.” Can Childish get his revenge by winning Best Music Video at the Grammys?
Fan voting was the factor that doomed “This is America” at the VMAs. It won Best Direction and Best Choreography, categories that aren’t decided by the viewing audience. It did win one fan-voted category — Best Video with a Message — but it was no match for Cabello’s devoted followers in the top races. She not only won Video of the Year but also Artist of the Year.
Will Childish have better luck at the Grammys? The good news for him is that Cabello isn’t nominated here, but even if she were he wouldn’t have to worry about her legions of fans because these awards are decided by the industry insiders in the recording academy. And those insiders already showed just how much they love “America” in the nominations.
Even though the video is what made the song such a viral hit, the song all by itself earned bids for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance. That makes it by far the most nominated song in the Music Video category. But it may not be a total cakewalk. He’s up against another VMA nominee for Video of the Year, “Apeshit” by Beyonce and Jay-Z; Beyonce previously won this prize for “Formation” (2017), and the Louvre-set “Apeshit” was another ambitious extravaganza.
Then there’s “Pynk” by Janelle Monae. Though she was nominated for Album of the Year for “Dirty Computer” as we anticipated, she was shockingly snubbed everywhere else but here. It might be difficult for her to win the top category with only one other nomination, so if voters want to send her home with any hardware it might have to be here. So while Childish Gambino may seem like an almost inevitable winner, there’s at least an outside chance that “Apeshit” or “Pynk” could slip him up.
Be sure to make your Grammy predictions so that Hollywood record executives and top name stars can see how their music is faring in our Grammy odds. Don’t be afraid to jump in now since you can keep changing your predictions until winners are announced on Sunday, February 10. And join in the fierce debate over the 2019 Grammys taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our music forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
