The 2026 VMA nominations are led by Madonna, Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, with Black artists mostly in genre categories. Real bias, or how the year's hits shook out?
Nominations for the September 27 MTV Video Music Awards, announced in August, drew criticism from outlets like Ebony and The Fader after Video of the Year and other top categories featured just one potentially Black artist among the nominees.
What happened
Madonna led with 11 nominations, followed by Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Ariana Grande. The Best Hip-Hop category recognized Cardi B, Drake, and Tyler, the Creator, but critics noted Black artists were largely absent from top all-genre categories like Video of the Year.
Why people disagree
Critics say this echoes a decades-old pattern — back to MTV's 1980s controversies and Nicki Minaj's 2015 complaints — of Black artists being siloed into genre categories rather than recognized as leaders of music overall. Defenders note voting reflects eligibility, chart performance, and industry preferences in a given year, not necessarily intentional exclusion.
What's still unclear
Whether the actual ceremony will address the criticism through wins or performances is unknown, since nominations don't determine winners.
Sources
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