2023 VTHH AWARDS: Some Notes on Some Details

For anyone just catching up or catching on, a quick rundown. (For anyone familiar, there is nothing new here and the final ballot goes up Friday morning.) Every year I do this, there's a lot of the same questions, and that's good. That means this is reaching new people every year, and it means the audience for what we do is expanding every year, too.

Rather than doing a cheap pay-to-play scheme, an even cheaper social media popularity contest, or writing some kind of "Offical Vermont Hip Hop Top 10" list, the Vermont Hip Hop Awards is just under 150 rappers, DJs, producers, videographers, promoters, graf heads, poets, singers, managers, B-Boys, and creative co-conspirators deciding who to collectively give props to this year. Imperfect and chaotic, yes, but it does have the virtue of being real.

Both the nominations, and the final ballot voting, happens only among those voters and this is not open to the general public. There is a guest list involved. That list has been growing every year and will always be insufficient. If you're a participant in the scene, new or old, and would like to vote this year, please get in touch.

The nomination round is pure chaos, and so far, this year's spread is very surprising and entertaining. Some voters nominate single names, some voters nominate five or ten picks for every category. Whoever receives the most votes by Thursday at midnight gets put on the final ballot Friday morning. Voting in the final round is for a single winner, and there are sometimes ties once the final count comes in. There is no tiebreaker — winning is winning and every vote counts.

This year, that final count will be Sunday night after midnight, and winners are announced on the morning of Monday, January 8th. All that said, bud: don't take it too serious. If this isn't fun, then this is stupid, and I'm allergic.

Finally, here's a breakdown on the categories: many of them will have different meanings for different people. Go with your gut. Huge thanks again to everyone participating this year.

Artist of the Year. Who was the headline story of 2023? It could be a big debut or a perfect season from some local veterans, but there is only one name at the top.
Most Improved. Who grew the most in the past year? This exists to recognize artists who have stepped up their game, found a new lane or just finally caught fire properly.
Best Emcee. What this means, precisely, is a matter of much debate for decades now, yet everyone knows exactly what the answer is. It’s a funny thing.
Best Producer. For my money, the deepest bench of sheer talent Vermont has is in the production department. There are a lot of spooky talented beat-makin' musicians kicking around in these woods. Picking just one is not easy.
Best Group. This is open to any crew, collective or even just a duo. The only question is who dominated 2023 collaboratively.
Best DJ. Whether that's rocking parties or laying down killer cuts (and it should be both) the DJ is foundation of the music. Thanks to a thriving nightlife scene in Burlington, there is a huge range of competition in this category. That said, one dude in particular does tend to win.
Best Graf Artist. When this first started, there were very few nominations, but awareness has really grown in the past few years. I think a lot of that is thanks to Instagram.
Best Verse. Who delivered the single best rap performance in the booth this year? This always winds up being a huge spread, and there may be some crazy ties this year.
Best Song. Just like Best Verse, there are usually a tsunami of nominations and winners are decided by very small margins.
Best Album. Feel free to nominate all your favorites, but only one album defined the year. If you think an EP should get the nod, feel free to nominate those, too.
Best Music Video. There are more worthy contenders for this category than ever in 2023. We're blessed to have to some top notch videographers in this state, and they have been busier than ever.
Best Live Performance. For some voters, this is just a reliable set killer, for others, it's a specific set. Either way, this is about whoever rocks the stage at the highest level.
Andy "A_DOG" Williams Good Citizen Award. This one is something special, created in cooperation with the awesome people at Friends For A_Dog foundation. This award exists to honor someone who is a positive force in their community, building connections and encouraging growth everywhere they go. That's a high bar, for sure, but we have many worthy contenders.

See you all on Friday.