The 2019 Grammys are nearly upon us, and while plenty of awards will be doled out when the show airs on CBS on February 10, there are arguably no nominees that offered more visually stimulating works than those in the category for Video of the Year.
The group offered up some stiff competition in 2019: Childish Gambino, for instance, is up for his buzzworthy vid for “This Is America,” while Janelle Monáe got a nod for “Pynk.” There’s also Béyonce Knowles and JAY-Z, collectively known as The Carters, whose six-minute, six-second masterpiece inspired plenty of trips to the Louvre in Paris, France — their video resulted in a 25 percent spike in visitors to the landmark in 2018, as well as a 90-minute tour of the video’s stops.
Also up for the award are Joyner Lucas for “I’m Not a Racist” and Mumbo Jumbo for “Tierra Whack.”
Each nominee brought something unique to the table with their video art.
Donald Glover’s shirtless, theatrical clip tackled race and gun violence while Monáe’s art is an ode to the female anatomy: The Hidden Figures actress wore pink pants that resembled genitalia and showcased rumored girlfriend Tessa Thompson in the featurette released in April (the same month Monáe came out as pansexual to Rolling Stone).
As for “Apes–t, the Carters, who filmed their clip in the city’s famed museum, featured none other than the Mona Lisa, plus other famed artwork such as Winged Victory of Samothrace, Pietà, Madonna of the Green Cushion, The Wedding Feast at Cana and the Venus de Milo, to name a few.
Watch the video above for a refresher, then tune into CBS on February 10 at 8 p.m. EST to find out who wins!
