Just because they didn’t get a VMA nomination doesn’t mean they don’t deserve one.
Rihanna – "Bitch Better Have My Money"
Directed by: Robyn Rihanna Fenty & MegaForce
Murder! Intrigue! Revenge! Exposed breasts! Seriously, VMAs, what else could "Bitch Better Have My Money" have given you to get a nomination?! That's just unfair!
Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment - "Sunday Candy"
Directed by: Austin Vesely, Ian Eastwood and Chance The Rapper
Though his name isn't technically on the song (instead credited as part of The Social Experiment), Chance the Rapper co-directed this video in which he also stars. The video's wholesome 1950s-meets-high school musical aesthetic succeeds in that it's impossible not to watch without a big dumb smile on your face.
The Staves – "Black and White"
Directed by: Jack Whitely
A female news anchor discovers her coanchor husband is cheating on her right before a live broadcast, and she struggles to keep her fake smile for the cameras while confronting him during commercial breaks. Of course, she can't keep her fake smile for long. And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is where things go from bad to very, very bad.
Run The Jewels ft. Zack de la Rocha - "Close Your Eyes (And Count To F**k)"
Directed by: A.G. Rojas
Like Kendrick Lamar did in the Video of the Year nominated "Alright," Run the Jewels focused on police violence in this intense video. "For me, it was important to write a story that didn’t paint a simplistic portrait of the characters of the Cop and Kid," says director A.G. Rojas in the YouTube video's description. "They're not stereotypes. They're people - complex, real people and, as such, the power had to shift between them at certain points throughout the story."