As you might have heard, online video giant YouTube is hosting its own award show entitled the YouTube Music Awards. That’s right, they’re taking the time to shed some light on the music videos that draw so much traffic to their service. And that last sentence is to be taken as literally as possible, because the nominees are mostly gigantic acts that get nominated for every other award out there. One of our favorite producers, Los Angeles’ Flying Lotus, took to his Twitter account to share his thoughts on why the awards show is kind of a crock. And he wasn’t alone, because somewhat frequent collaborator, Odd Future’s Tyler, The Creator, dissed YouTube, too.
Here’s just a bit of what FlyLo had to say about the awards on his Twitter account.
Seems like the YouTube music awards are pretty much the same as the VMAs. I don't really see the point.
— FLYLO FM (@flyinglotus) October 22, 2013
He went on to say, “If it’s all about hits sure I get it but let’s be fair. YouTube award nominations clearly don’t care about cutting edge/innovation.” He then stated that he meant no disrespect to the nominees and that “[Youtube] had an opportunity to shine a light on all the artists that they helped to gain notoriety just to shit on them for uber famous acts.” FlyLo’s right, especially when you consider that he released a short film that won an award at the Sundance Film Festival. But was he recognized by YouTube? Of course not.
Tyler’s rant, which also took place on Twitter, was a lot more profane and over the top, though that’s to be expected given his work. While he was happy to see that Toro Y Moi was nominated for an award”Say That” is up for Innovation of the YearTyler wasn’t down with everything else. And I quote:
WHY NOT GIVE AWARDS TO JUST DIRECTORS, THESE FUCKING WEAK ASS ARTIST DONT COME UP WITH THESE SHOTS OR SIT IN COLORING FUCK THEM THEY SUCK
— Tyler, The Creator (@fucktyler) October 23, 2013
HA, well said. And like Flying Lotus, Tyler makes a great point. It’s also a personal one, because he himself directs many of his own videos under the alias Wolf Haley. Like the superbly done “Tamale/Answer” video, for example. In fact, he recently directed a new set of visuals for an unnamed band that showcase his more sentimental side.
Now, if you agree with FlyLo and Tyler, here a few things you could do other than watching the awards and getting disappointed. You can even do ‘em all at once if you’re skilled enough:
