Missy Elliott is finally getting a Video Vanguard award at the 2019 VMA's: The good, the bad and the messy

In news that should shock nobody and will have Missy lovers happy, but with side-eye and eye rolls; MTV have finally decided to do the right fucking thing and give Missy Elliott the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award. An award that she shoulda been awarded. And an award they might want to consider changing the name of. Because, chile.

Literally. Child.

2019 seems to be the year of Missy receiving all of her flowers with an induction into the Songwriters hall of fame, receiving an hoorary doctorate from the Berklee College of music and complete adoration from women of the moment, Lizzo following their collab on her song "Tempo". It really does warm this piece of coal where a heart s'posed to be. For too long, Missy's achievements have been confined to the world of Hip-Hop, when Missy has had a massive impact on music. PERIOD.
It's crazy to think that there's a whole generation of music listeners and music video viewers who don't really know who Missy is and the amazing things that she had done. Most kids don't realise that the music videos they're seeing from their faves who came up 6 years ago was inspired by a woman who did it 20 years ago. And that in a game which is now so trend focused with everybody following a fashion, Missy never once followed.

Missy Elliott's music videos helped shape and redefine a visual era in Hip-Hop. Which then went to have an impact in the world of Pop and Rock 'n' Roll. Missy Elliott made it cool to drop seriously hard cuts, with offbeat fun videos. Missy showed that a video can be wild, fun, unorthodox and a complete piss-take, but still be taken seriously as a piece of work and...(yep, I'mma say it) art. It also showed the broadness of blackness in many of the same ways that Michael Jackson's videos did.

For MTV to have ignored Missy Elliott for so long is a whole mess, but this is the same network who once refused to play the music videos of the artist who they've now named their prestigious award after. So, go figure.

It's also a reminder that MTV is more about viewership and piggy backing first and foremost. The timing of the Video Vanguard winners for the past 10 years has consistently coincided with a popular artist releasing something. Because Viacom know fans will watch the VMA's shit just to see them and that the VMA's will be a part of the perfect storm of promo that artist already has underway.

Britney receives the Video Vanguard award in 2011
Britney had dropped her seventh studio album Femme fatale the same year and also announced a tour.

Justin Timberlake receives the Video Vanguard award in 2012
In 2012 Justin had released his long awaited album The 20/20 experience.

Beyoncé receives the Video Vanguard award in 2014
2013 - 2014 was a killer period for Beyoncé and when she truly cemented herself as THAT bitch and ascended. In 2013 she surprise released her self-titled fifth studio album, which had a seismic impact. Not just because of its release, but how quickly many of its lyrics and terms worked their way into pop culture as slogans and references (i.e 'Surfboard' and 'I woke up like dis'). Then there was her big ass world tour which started in 2013 ran through until 2014, the same year she announced a joint tour with her husband Shawn Knowles; the On the run tour. Which was basically the Beyoncé album tour with Jay-Z as an opening act.

Rihanna receives the Video Vanguard award in 2016 
Rihanna had a lot happen for her in a very short space of time, with back-to-back album releases and always seeming to have something on the charts. But with a break and a couple of singles, but no word on a new album, and constant teases via partnerships with Samsung; the Navy were dying for a new album. And when she finally dropped it, MTV handed her a Video Vanguard award.

P!nk receives the Video Vanguard award in 2017
P!nk made her long awaited comeback with Beautiful trauma, which topped charts and cemented that the record buying public were always going to support her, after years of being seen as the underdog who fluked her album successes. And with that came a Video Vanguard award.

Jennifer Lopez receives the Video Vanguard award in 2017
Jennifer Lopez was at the tail end of a successful Vegas residency which started in 2016. She had also released some singles that same year. So why not give a bitch a Video Vanguard award.

The fact that Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, P!nk and Jennifer Lopez all received the Video Vanguard award ahead of Missy Elliott is a fuckery. All of them are talented in their own rights, but none of them have a videography that I would consider iconic or memorable, despite having odd videos here and there which are good. I have to think hard to recall a music video of Justin Timberlake's. Most of P!nk's videos look the same, just as her music all sounds the same. And Jennifer Lopez's videos are so any-chick, just like her music. I thought the Video Vanguard award was to honour excellence and a videography which has impacted the medium of music videos as a whole. And none of the aforementioned, have done that in my eyes. Missy had done more with and for music videos 1 year into her career, than most of these guys 'n' girls have done across their careers to date.

The only exceptions are Beyoncé and Britney.

Britney honestly could have been awarded the Video Vanguard award back during the release of My prerogative. There was no disputing the impact that Britney had on music videos at that point and on MTV as a network. But her public image was a mess at that time. Had Britney's comeback album Circus been released earlier in the year (Circus was released in November, the VMA's are usually held in August or September) she probably would have gotten the Video Vanguard award in 2008. Plus, MTV kinda owed her after the way they pimped her breakdown for the sake of views at the 2002 VMA's.

Anyway.

To bring this all back to Missy Elliott. Congratulations bitch. I hope your YouTube views go through the roof and that you gain a whole new mass following who get to see why you've been so revered by many of us who've adored you since the very beginning.