If you don't watch a lot of MTV or listen to a lot of top 40 radio, the Video Music Awards might seem meaningless to you, but they actually offer a very important opportunity: to finally figure out what the kids are listening to these days. And though the heyday of the music video's importance in pop culture is long gone, the list of this year's VMA Nominees taps into the biggest and brightest of current pop stars-- Drake and Rihanna lead the field with five nominations apiece, including two nominations for Rihanna along in the "Video of the Year" category. Last year's big winner Katy Perry also didn't fare too badly, with four nominations including her own "Video of the Year" nod.
What's almost more fun than the nominees is to sort through the wild categories, which find a way to nominate Coldplay for Best Rock Video, include the highly subjective title Best Video WIth A Message, and add the new category Best Electronic Dance Music Video, presumably just so they could find a way to get Skrillex in there. Check out the full list of nominees below, and catch the VMAs themselves airing live on MTV on September 6 at 8 p.m. EST. As we learned from liveblogging the show last year, the show is always guaranteed to contain surprises and wild moments, which means the awards themselves are only half the fun.
Video of the Year
?Katy Perry, "Wide Awake"
?Gotye, "Somebody That I Used To Know"
?Rihanna, "We Found Love"
?Drake feat. Rihanna, "Take Care"
?M.I.A., "Bad Girls"
Best New Artist
?Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, "We Are Young"
?Carly Rae Jepsen, "Call Me Maybe"
?Frank Ocean, "Swim Good"
?One Direction, "What Makes You Beautiful"
?The Wanted, "Glad You Came"
Best Hip-Hop Video
?Childish Gambino, "Heartbeat"
?Drake feat. Lil Wayne, "HYFR"
?Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean & 2 Chainz, "Mercy"
?Watch the Throne, "Paris"
?Nicki Minaj feat. 2 Chainz, "Beez in the Trap"
Best Male Video
?Justin Bieber, "Boyfriend"
?Frank Ocean, "Swim Good"
?Drake feat. Rihanna, "Take Care"
?Chris Brown, "Turn Up the Music"
?Usher, "Climax"
Best Female Video
?Rihanna, "We Found Love"
?Katy Perry, "Part of Me"
?Beyoncé, "Love on Top"
?Nicki Minaj, "Starships"
?Selena Gomez & The Scene, "Love You Like a Love Song"
Best Pop Video
?One Direction, "What Makes You Beautiful"
?Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, "We Are Young"
?Rihanna, "We Found Love"
?Justin Bieber, "Boyfriend"
?Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa, "Payphone"
Best Rock Video
?Coldplay, "Paradise"
?The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy"
?Linkin Park, "BURN IT DOWN"
?Jack White, "Sixteen Saltines"
?Imagine Dragons, "It's Time"
Best Electronic Dance Music Video
?Duck Sauce, "Big Bad Wolf"
?Calvin Harris, "Feel So Close"
?Skrillex, "First of the Year (Equinox)"
?Martin Solveig, "The Night Out"
?Avicii, "Le7els"
Best Video With a Message
?Demi Lovato, "Skyscraper"
?Rise Against, "Ballad of Hollis Brown"
?Kelly Clarkson, "Dark Side"
?Gym Class Heroes, "The Fighter"
?K'Naan feat. Nelly Furtado, "Is Anybody Out There?"
?Lil Wayne, "How to Love"
Best Art Direction
?Katy Perry, "Wide Awake"
?Drake feat. Rihanna, "Take Care"
?Lana Del Rey, "Born to Die"
?Regina Spektor, "All the Rowboats"
?Of Monsters & Men, "Little Talks"
Best Choreography
?Chris Brown, "Turn Up the Music"
?Rihanna, "Where Have You Been"
?Beyoncé, "Countdown"
?Avicii, "Le7els"
?Jennifer Lopez f/Pitbull, "Dance Again"
Best Cinematography
?M.I.A., "Bad Girls"
?Adele, "Someone Like You"
?Drake feat. Rihanna, "Take Care"
?Coldplay feat. Rihanna, "Princess of China"
?Lana Del Rey, "Born to Die"
Best Direction
?M.I.A., "Bad Girls"
?Duck Sauce, "Big Bad Wolf"
?Coldplay feat. Rihanna, "Princess of China"
?Frank Ocean, "Swim Good"
?Watch the Throne, "Otis"
Best Editing
?Beyoncé, "Countdown"
?A$AP Rocky, "Goldie"
?Gotye, "Somebody That I Used to Know"
?Watch the Throne, "Paris"
?Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean and 2 Chainz, "Mercy"
Best Visual Effects
?Katy Perry, "Wide Awake"
?Rihanna, "Where Have You Been"
?David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj, "Turn Me On"
?Linkin Park, "BURN IT DOWN"
