Music Cardi B, The Carters, Childish Gambino lead 2018 MTV VMA nominations By Joey Nolfi Joey Nolfi Entertainment Weekly's Oscars expert, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' beat reporter, host of 'Quick Drag' Twitter Spaces, and cohost of 'EW's BINGE' podcast. Almost all of the drag content on this site is my fault (you're welcome). EW's editorial guidelines Published on July 16, 2018 02:15PM EDT Photo: Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images; Burak Cingi/Redferns/Getty Images MTV’s iconic moonmen are orbiting the stars once again, as the network announced Monday its full list of nominees for the 2018 Video Music Awards. Leading the pack in terms of overall nominations is breakout rap artist (and new mom) Cardi B, who scored 10 total nods — nine of which are for visuals accompanying songs she’s featured in (namely “Finesse” by Bruno Mars and “Dinero” by Jennifer Lopez). Only one of Cardi’s solo clips, “Bartier Cardi,” received a nomination. Beyoncé and Jay-Z follow closely behind with eight nods, all for their collaborative “APES**T” video released as part of their joint album Everything Is Love earlier this summer. Both The Carters’ and Cardi B’s respective visuals are nominated in the video of the year category alongside Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry,” Camila Cabello’s “Havana,” Childish Gambino’s “This Is America,” and Drake’s “God’s Plan.” Cabello, Cardi B, and Drake also make the jump into the song of the year category, where they’re joined by Ed Sheeran (“Perfect”), Post Malone (“rockstar”), and Dua Lipa (“New Rules”). Elsewhere, late DJ-producer Avicii was honored with two posthumous nominations (best dance and best visual effects) for his Rita Ora-featuring “Lonely Together” video, while other mainstream acts like Justin Timberlake, Eminem, Rihanna, and N.E.R.D. also appeared in technical categories. The 2018 MTV VMAs air live from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Monday, Aug. 20 at 9:00 p.m. ET. See the full list of nominations below. VIDEO OF THE YEAR Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” – Republic RecordsBruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” – Atlantic RecordsCamila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” – Syco Music/Epic RecordsThe Carters – “APES**T” – Roc Nation/Parkwood EntertainmentChildish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA RecordsDrake – “God’s Plan” – YMCMB/Cash Money/Republic Records ARTIST OF THE YEARAriana Grande – Republic RecordsBruno Mars – Atlantic RecordsCamila Cabello – Syco Music/Epic RecordsCardi B – Atlantic RecordsDrake – YMCMB/Cash Money/Republic RecordsPost Malone – Republic Records SONG OF THE YEAR Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” – Atlantic RecordsCamila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” – Syco Music/Epic RecordsDrake – “God’s Plan” – YMCMB/Cash Money/Republic RecordsDua Lipa – “New Rules” – Warner Bros. RecordsEd Sheeran – “Perfect” – Atlantic RecordsPost Malone ft. 21 Savage – “rockstar” – Republic Records BEST NEW ARTIST (Presented by Taco Bell®) Bazzi – iamcosmic/Atlantic RecordsCardi B – Atlantic RecordsChloe x Halle – Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia RecordsHayley Kiyoko – Atlantic RecordsLil Pump – Warner Bros. RecordsLil Uzi Vert – Atlantic Records BEST COLLABORATION Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line – “Meant to Be” – Warner Bros. RecordsBruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” – Atlantic RecordsThe Carters – “APES**T” – Roc Nation/Parkwood EntertainmentJennifer Lopez ft. DJ Khaled & Cardi B – “Dinero” – Epic Records/Nuyorican ProductionsLogic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid – “1-800-273-8255” – Def Jam RecordingsN.E.R.D & Rihanna – “Lemon” – i am OTHER/Columbia Records PUSH ARTIST OF THE YEAR JULY 2018 – Chloe x Halle – Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia RecordsJUNE 2018 – Sigrid – Island RecordsMAY 2018 – Lil Xan – Columbia RecordsAPRIL 2018 – Hayley Kiyoko – Atlantic RecordsMARCH 2018 – Jessie Reyez – Island RecordsFEBRUARY 2018 – Tee Grizzley – 300 EntertainmentJANUARY 2018 – Bishop Briggs – Island RecordsDECEMBER 2017 – Grace VanderWaal – Syco Music/Columbia RecordsNOVEMBER 2017 – Why Don’t We – Atlantic RecordsOCTOBER 2017 – PRETTYMUCH – Syco Music/Columbia RecordsSEPTEMBER 2017 – SZA – TDE/Aftermath/Interscope RecordsAUGUST 2017 – Kacy Hill – Def Jam RecordingsJULY 2017 – Khalid – RCA RecordsJUNE 2017 – KYLE – Atlantic RecordsMAY 2017 – Noah Cyrus – Republic Records BEST POP Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” – Republic RecordsCamila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” – Syco Music/Epic RecordsDemi Lovato – “Sorry Not Sorry” – Island RecordsEd Sheeran – “Perfect” – Atlantic RecordsP!nk – “What About Us” – RCA RecordsShawn Mendes – “In My Blood” – Island Records BEST HIP HOP Cardi B ft. 21 Savage – “Bartier Cardi” – KSR/Atlantic RecordsThe Carters – “APES**T” – Roc Nation/Parkwood EntertainmentDrake – “God’s Plan” – YMCMB/Cash Money/Republic RecordsJ. Cole – “ATM” – Dreamville/Roc Nation/Interscope RecordsMigos ft. Drake – “Walk It Talk It” – Quality Control/Capitol RecordsNicki Minaj – “Chun-Li” – Young Money/Cash Money Records BEST LATIN Daddy Yankee – “Dura” – El Cartel Records/UMLEJ Balvin, Willy William – “Mi Gente” – UMLE/Republic RecordsJennifer Lopez ft. DJ Khaled & Cardi B – “Dinero” – Epic Records/Nuyorican ProductionsLuis Fonsi, Demi Lovato – “Échame La Culpa” – UMLE/Republic/Island/Universal Music LatinoMaluma – “Felices los 4” – Sony Music Entertainment US LatinShakira ft. Maluma – “Chantaje” – Sony Music Entertainment US Latin BEST DANCE Avicii ft. Rita Ora – “Lonely Together” – Geffen RecordsCalvin Harris & Dua Lipa – “One Kiss” – Columbia RecordsThe Chainsmokers – “Everybody Hates Me” – Disruptor Records/Columbia RecordsDavid Guetta & Sia – “Flames” – Atlantic RecordsMarshmello ft. Khalid – “Silence” – RCA Records/Ultra RecordsZedd & Liam Payne – “Get Low (Street Video)” – Interscope Records BEST ROCK Fall Out Boy – “Champion” – Island RecordsFoo Fighters – “The Sky Is A Neighborhood” – RCA RecordsImagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes” – KIDinaKORNER/Interscope RecordsLinkin Park – “One More Light” – Warner Bros. RecordsPanic! At The Disco – “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” – Fueled By Ramen/Atlantic RecordsThirty Seconds to Mars – “Walk On Water” – Interscope Records VIDEO WITH A MESSAGE Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA RecordsDej Loaf and Leon Bridges – “Liberated” – Columbia RecordsDrake – ‘God’s Plan” – YMCMB/Cash Money/Republic RecordsJanelle Monáe – “PYNK” – Bad Boy Records/Atlantic RecordsJessie Reyez – “Gatekeeper” – Island RecordsLogic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid – “1-800-273-8255” – Def Jam Recordings BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Alessia Cara – “Growing Pains” – Def Jam Recordings – Cinematography by Pau CastejónAriana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” – Republic Records – Cinematography by Scott CunninghamThe Carters – “APES**T” – Roc Nation/Parkwood Entertainment – Cinematography by Benoit DebieChildish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA Records – Cinematography by Larkin SeipleEminem ft. Ed Sheeran – “River” – Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records – Cinematography by Frank Mobilio & Patrick MellerShawn Mendes – “In My Blood” – Island Records – Cinematography by Jonathan Sela BEST DIRECTION The Carters – “APES**T” – Roc Nation/Parkwood Entertainment – Directed by Ricky SaixChildish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA Records – Directed by Hiro MuraiDrake – “God’s Plan” – YMCMB/Cash Money/Republic Records – Directed by Karena EvansEd Sheeran – “Perfect” – Atlantic Records – Directed by Jason KoenigJustin Timberlake ft. Chris Stapleton – “Say Something” – RCA Records – Directed by Arturo Perez Jr.Shawn Mendes – “In My Blood” – Island Records – Directed by Jay Martin BEST ART DIRECTION The Carters – “APES**T” – Roc Nation/Parkwood Entertainment – Art Direction by Jan HoulevigueChildish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA Records – Art Direction by Jason KisvardayJ. Cole – “ATM” – Dreamville/Roc Nation/Interscope Records – Art Direction by Miles MullinJanelle Monáe – “Make Me Feel” – Bad Boy Records/Atlantic Records – Art Direction by Pepper NguyenSZA – “The Weekend” – TDE/RCA Records – Art Direction by SZA and SolangeTaylor Swift – “Look What You Made Me Do” – Big Machine Records – Art Direction by Brett Hess BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Vidal and Loris Paillier for BufAvicii ft. Rita Ora – “Lonely Together” – Geffen Records – Visual Effects by KPPEminem ft. Beyoncé – “Walk On Water” – Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records – Visual Effects Supervisor Rich Lee for Drive StudiosKendrick Lamar & SZA – “All The Stars” – TDE/Aftermath/Interscope Records – Visual Effects by Loris Paillier for BUF ParisMaroon 5 – “Wait” – 222/Interscope Records – Visual Effects by TIMBERTaylor Swift – “Look What You Made Me Do” – Big Machine Records – Visual Effects by Ingenuity Studios BEST CHOREOGRAPHY Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” – Atlantic Records – Choreography by Phil Tayag & Bruno MarsCamila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” – Syco Music/Epic Records – Choreography by Calvit Hodge and Sara BivensThe Carters – “APES**T” – Roc Nation/Parkwood Entertainment – Choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Jaquel KnightChildish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA Records – Choreography by Sherrie SilverDua Lipa – “IDGAF” – Warner Bros. Records – Choreography by Marion MotinJustin Timberlake – “Filthy” – RCA Records – Choreography by Marty Kudelka, AJ Harpold, Tracy Phillips, and Ivan Koumaev BEST EDITING Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” – Atlantic Records – Editing by Jacquelyn LondonThe Carters – “APES**T” – Roc Nation/Parkwood Entertainment – Taylor Ward and Sam OstroveChildish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA Records – Editing by Ernie GilbertJanelle Monáe – “Make Me Feel” – Bad Boy Records/Atlantic Records – Editing by Deji LarayN.E.R.D & Rihanna – “Lemon” – i am OTHER/Columbia Records – Editing by Taylor WardTaylor Swift – “Look What You Made Me Do” – Big Machine Records – Editing by Chancler Haynes for Cosmo