Louisville's favorite rapper Jack Harlow hosts VMAs, wins four Moon Person trophies

Louisville rap superstar Jack Harlow took flight Sunday, opening the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards ahead of his hosting gig with a star-studded performance of "First Class" from his sophomore album, "Come Home the Kids Miss You."

Dressed as a flight attendant, the Atherton High School grad's performance featured cameos from Saucy Santana, Avril Lavigne, Chlöe and a makeshift plane full of other award nominees. His set also included a surprise appearance from Fergie, whose 2006 song “Glamorous” was famously sampled in Harlow's hit single.

It was a busy night for the 24-year-old hip-hop artist who was nominated for several awards, and won four Moon Person statues, all while also co-hosting the annual awards show at New Jersey's Prudential Center.

Harlow, joined rap royals LL Cool J, 54, and Nicki Minaj, 39, to anchor the iconic ceremony which premiered on MTV in 1984 as a way to celebrate the best in mainstream music videos.

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Heading into the show, Harlow, Doja Cat and Harry Styles lead the nominees with eight mentions each. The Kentucky rapper was nominated for Artist of the Year and Song of the Summer ("First Class.") His six other nominations were the result of a collaboration with Lil Nas X on the chart-topping single "Industry Baby." The success of the "Industry Baby" video gave each artist a nod in the categories of Video of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects and Best Choreography.

Harlow and Lil Nas X won the coveted VMA "Moon Person" statue for Best Collaboration, Best Art Direction and Visual Effects for their hit "Industry Baby." Harlow won the people's vote for Song of the Summer for his hit "First Class."

Since the 2006 awards, the majority of winners are determined by viewers' votes through MTV's website. However, there are six "professional" categories that aren't open to public voting. They are Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, and Best Visual Effects. These awards are decided by people in the industry who are experts in these fields.

Harlow made his VMAs debut last year, performing the Billboard Hot 100 hit “Industry Baby” alongside Lil Nas X. He was previously nominated in 2020 for the Song of Summer award with his first hit “Whats Poppin," which he performed during the VMA's pre-show.

Other highlights of Sunday's show included performances by Nicki Minaj, Lizzo, BLACKPINK, Måneskin, and Panic! at the Disco.

For her trail-blazing efforts as a female hip-hop artist, Minaj received the prestigious MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Her decades-spanning career includes hits like "Super Bass," "Anaconda" and her collaboration with Jessie J and Ariana Grande for "Bang Bang."

Pop icon Madonna, who is the most awarded singer in VMA history, became the first artist to be nominated in each of the five decades in which the VMAs have aired. Madonna, 64, has won a record 20 VMA awards and received her 69th nomination for “Madame X” during Sunday's award show.

2022 also marked the first time the VMAs have been hosted by more than two co-hosts since a group of MTV VJs did the honors in 1986 (“Downtown” Julie Brown, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn and Dweezil Zappa) and 1987 (Brown, Carolyne Heldman, Michael Tomioka, Zappa and Kevin Seal).

BackgroundLouisville-born rapper Jack Harlow to take the stage this month as a VMAs co-host

For anyone unaware of the relevance of the Moon Person trophy awarded to winners, it is the longtime symbol of the VMAs. Prior to 2018 when the trophy received a gender-neutral makeover it was called The Moonman. The trophy has been around since the start of the VMAs. When MTV launched in 1981, it used footage of Apollo 11 blasting off into space, and an astronaut planting a flag with the MTV logo on the moon's surface. That footage played every hour on MTV for the first five years and now lives on as the VMA Moon Person trophy.

Now Harlow has four Moon Person statues to add to his trophy case.

Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Here's how Louisville's Jack Harlow fared at the 2022 VMAs