Outkast, Jay-Z Sweep VMAs

08/29/2004 11:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Lyndsey Parker

At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards--held this evening (Sunday, August 29) at Miami's American Airlines Arena--Jay-Z and Outkast were the big winners, with four moonmen apiece. Jay-Z's controversial "99 Problems" video scored wins for Best Rap Video, Best Direction, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography, while Outkast's wacky, colorful "Hey Ya" took home trophies for Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Art Direction, Best Special Effects, and the all-important Video Of The Year.

Other noteworthy victors included Usher and No Doubt, who won two awards each for their respective "Yeah" and "It's My Life" clips. But there were also some surprising shut-outs, when multiple nominees the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, D12, Steriogram, Kanye West, the Darkness, and (most notably) Britney Spears went home empty-handed.

By VMA standards, the ceremony was rather tame--in light of the MTV-produced Janet Jackson Super Bowl fiasco earlier this year, it was no surprise that the wary network would take no chances this time around. So the 2004 VMAs featured no girl-on-girl makeout sessions, sock-puppet brawls, butt-less trousers, or other spectacles that have made the awards show so infamous in the past. But the three-hour broadcast offered some highlights nonetheless. Alicia Keys--accompanied by Stevie Wonder and Lenny Kravitz--put on a fantastic performance, as did psychedelic pop choir the Polyphonic Spree, Kanye West with surprise guest Chaka Khan, and duet partners Nelly and Christina Aguilera.

Other compelling moments included a bizarre cameo by the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne (who arrived in a giant, rolling plastic bubble), and the daughters of John Kerry and President Bush, who urged viewers to vote in this year's presidential election.

The red-carpet action before the main event was entertaining as well. Since this was the first time in the VMAs' 21-year history that the ceremony did not take place in either New York or Los Angeles, celebrity guests took advantage of Florida locale by arriving not by car, but by yacht. For instance, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey sailed to the awards in a 68-foot boat, while--not to be outdone--P. Diddy made a grand entrance on a luxury ship with an unlikely assortment of cohorts (Mase, Naomi Campbell, Bruce Willis) along for the ride. The Beastie Boys made a more low-key but equally memorable arrival, coasting in on the same dinghy featured in their "Ch-Check It Out" video.

Here's the complete list of this year's Video Music Awards winners:

BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR: "Hey Ya," Outkast

BEST MALE VIDEO: "Yeah," Usher

BEST FEMALE VIDEO: "Naughty Girl," Beyonce

BEST GROUP VIDEO: "It's My Life," No Doubt

BEST RAP VIDEO: "99 Problems," Jay-Z

BEST R&B VIDEO: "If I Ain't Got You," Alicia Keys

BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO: "Hey Ya," Outkast

BEST DANCE VIDEO: "Yeah," Usher

BEST ROCK VIDEO: "Are You Gonna Be My Girl," Jet

BEST POP VIDEO: "It's My Life," No Doubt

BEST NEW ARTIST IN A VIDEO: "This Love," Maroon 5

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO: "Take Me Out," Franz Ferdinand

MTV2 AWARD: "Ocean Avenue," Yellowcard

BEST DIRECTION IN A VIDEO: "99 Problems," Jay-Z

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A VIDEO: "Hey Mama," Black Eyed Peas

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS IN A VIDEO: "Hey Ya," Outkast

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A VIDEO: "99 Problems," Jay-Z

BEST ART DIRECTION IN A VIDEO: "Hey Ya," Outkast

BEST EDITING IN A VIDEO: "99 Problems," Jay-Z

VIEWER'S CHOICE AWARD: "Breaking The Habit," Linkin Park

For our full report on the VMAs, click here.